Surviving Bristol
by Trufreak89
Summary: Six months after a virus decimates the world population a handful of survivors are left trying to live in a terrifying new world. In Bristol a group of teens band together to fight off starvation and the threat of other survivors. Naomily & Keffy
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Surviving Bristol

**Summary: **Six months after a virus decimates the world population a handful of survivors are left trying to live in a terrifying new world. In Bristol a group of teens band together to fight off starvation and the threat of other survivors; but the life they've built for themselves is threatened by ghosts from their past.

**Disclaimer: **I'm British and pay for a TV license, but unfortunately that doesn't mean I own Skins or anything associated with the show.

**Rating: **M (Mature themes, language, violence, the usual Skins stuff)

**A/N: **SoI said I wasn't going to start any new fics, or at least post any, until I'd finished some of my other stuff, but I've had this idea stuck in my head for a while and I'm clearly not happy unless I'm working on four fics at once. This is loosely inspired by Terry Nation's _Survivors_ and the BBC series of the same name.

_It's amazing how much the world can change practically overnight. Six months ago, in the middle of Times Square in New York, a businessman dropped down dead with the flu. Except it wasn't flu. Well, not the flu we were used to anyway. It was a virus. Something new. Something deadly. It's still just known as the virus, there wasn't time to name it before. And now there's no one left to think of a name. Just a handful of survivors trying to keep going. To make the most of the broken world they were left with._

_Six months ago the world as we knew it ended._

* * *

"Oh my god. Are you hurt? Hello? Can you hear me?" A middle aged man with salt and pepper hair dropped to his knees in the middle of the abandoned highway. Cracks had started to form in the concrete and the man found he was kneeling in weeds. Behind him his two companions sat in a battered old Land Rover, waiting impatiently. They hadn't had any intentions of stopping, but the blonde teenage girl that lay in the road in front of him was blocking their path and he'd insisted they check on her.

Dead bodies were not a new sight to any of them, but the girl was clearly breathing and he couldn't just let his friends drive on. In his old life, which seemed so long ago now, he had been a nurse and that part of him wouldn't let him ignore an injured girl lying in the road. Her hair covered most of her face and there was a pool of sticky red blood around her head and matted through her dirty blonde locks. "Sweetheart? Sweetheart, Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear." The man froze as something clicked beside his ear and a cold metal barrel was pushed against his temple, it didn't take a genius to know it was a gun. "Easy." A female voice commanded behind him as he tried to stand. The barrel was shoved between his shoulder blades, pushing him back down to his knees. The blonde girl lying in the road sat up and grinned at the girl holding a shotgun to the man's head. With the fake blood in her hair and the dirt on her clothes she looked like some ridiculously happy zombie.  
"Whizzer Effy! It worked!" She bounced on the balls of her feet, looking particularly pleased with herself.

"You did great Pandapops!" A male voice called from over the Land Rover. The man in the road risked a glance behind him and found a young lad and another blonde girl surrounding it. They all looked barely older than teenagers and yet three of them were carrying guns. Sadly in the months since the world had gone to shit it was not an uncommon sight. His friends had been right, he should have known better than to stop and try to help. That wasn't how the world worked anymore, they were back to survival of the fittest; and the fittest tended to have the biggest guns.

Effy, the brunette with the shotgun trained on the man in the road indicated for him to walk over to his friends by the car. He slowly rose to his feet, keeping his hands in the air as he did as he was told. His steps were slow and deliberate, the last thing he needed was for some trigger happy kid to blow his head off. Effy and the blonde, Panda, stood guard with a curly haired boy without a gun. He had more of a baby face than the others in his group and he was clearly anxious as he wrestled with the cuffs of his sleeves and his head snapped between the men by the side of the road and the remaining two teenagers who were pillaging the Land Rover. He and the blonde with the blood in her hair looked more nervous than the other three. They all had stone cold expressions on their faces; especially the girl who had shoved her gun in to his back, but the other two looked an easy target. It was clear to see why they had banded with the other teenagers.

The Good Samaritan nervously glanced at the shotgun in Effy's hands. Of their three guards she was the only real threat, and that was only because of the gun. She was almost as tall as him but she was very slight, if he could the gun from her and turn it on her friends it could save what little supplies they had in the Land Rover; and possibly even their lives. There was no guarantee the kids weren't just going to shoot them anyway. He inched closer to her, his gaze flitting to the gun. It was a full size shot gun, if he got close quick enough he'd be in front of the barrel and she wouldn't have the room to aim at him. He'd barely taken a step towards her when she pulled a revolver out of the back of her belt. "I wouldn't."

"Easy, we don't want any trouble." The oldest of the three men put his hand on the shoulder of the man Effy was aiming at. He was a grey haired man with a thick bushy beard and quite a stocky build, but rather than make him look intimidating it just gave him the look of Santa Claus. "Just take what you want and go."  
"We will." Effy didn't appear to be one to waste words and the other two teens were as silent as the grave as they nervously watched the exchange. The curly haired boy seemed terrified by the sight of the guns.

Over by the Land Rover the older boy had his rifle slung over his shoulder as he rummaged through the boot, tossing bags over to the blonde girl. She had shoved her own hand gun in to the holster at her side and there was another holster strapped to her leg where a rather menacing hunting knife sat just above her boots. These kids hadn't just been opportunists; they had been waiting to ambush someone. Anyone. It didn't matter that the Land Rover was full of supplies; they would have stopped any car just to see what it had. Times were getting tough for everyone, with the main cities over run with gangs of survivors all fighting for what little provisions the concrete jungles still held, it was getting harder to find food and with winter on the way people were getting desperate.

There was no more national welfare, no national health service, no government, no law; there was just survival. For those who had been immune to the virus the real struggle had come not when they'd had to bury their dead or band together with strangers to find food and shelter, but when the temperature had begun to drop and the leaves on the trees had started to turn. Winter without the comfort of central heating and indoor plumbing would probably kill off a lot more of the already vastly diminished population of the UK.

"Please, we were just trying to help!" The man who had been in the middle of the road protested as he watched them take every last thing out of the back of their car. They had left the city to avoid the gangs of thieves who would cut your throat over a bottle of water, every last thing they owned had been in that car, and now lay scattered on the road as the teenage vultures picked at it.  
"Yeah? Well we're just helping ourselves." The sandy haired boy with the rifle shot back, a cocky smirk on his lips. "Law of the land now my friend. Help yourself, no other fucker will."

"Cook." The blonde girl with the holster on her hip glared at the young man as he provoked the three men from the car. "Leave the camping equipment, a box of the matches, the fuel in the car and enough food and water for three days." Her expression remained hard and unmoving even as the elderly man thanked her for her humanitarianism; it had also reassured them they wouldn't be getting shot at the side of the road. Dead men didn't need matches and fuel.  
"Naoms-" The young man started to protest but it was clear who was in charge as she cut him off.  
"You heard me Cook." Naomi snapped, leaving no more room for argument. "We're not fucking savages; Not yet anyway."

Cook reluctantly did as he was told and tossed a few bottles of water back in to the boot, along with an assortment of tins and packets of food and all the sleeping bags and camping equipment the men had been lucky enough to get their hands on. It wasn't like they needed tents or sleeping bags and they'd still manage to get away with plenty to keep the seven of them going. "Alright! Freddie!" He shouted in to a crackling radio that looked like it had seen better days, it was held together by duct tape after an incident a few weeks earlier when he'd dropped it from a tree. A few moments later an engine revved in the distance and a white Transit van pulled up alongside them. It had been parked down the bottom of the hill, hidden from sight by the dip in the road. As young as they were these kids seemed to know what they were doing.

JJ, the curly haired boy, and the two girls loaded their bounty into the back while Cook and Naomi covered the men. Once the van was loaded Effy and Pandora got in the front with the driver, another teenager with a mop of dark hair and a lopsided smile that was directed at the girls. The other three jumped in the back with Cook getting in last. He sat with his legs dangling out of the open back door, his rifle held on the men until they were just dots in the distance. He pulled the back door shut and clamped the handle down to secure it in place. "Alright Fredster, gun it!" He slammed his hand on the back door, the sound reverberating through the metal and telling Freddie it was time to put his foot down. The last thing they needed was for anyone to follow them back.

After twenty minutes they slipped off the motorway and Freddie only began to slow down once they were on a country road far away from the Land Rover and its three very pissed off occupants. They had set themselves strict rules about going out to forage off other survivors; they would never risk it within twenty miles of the place they now called home.

The teens seldom stole from other survivors, and Naomi had actually been repulsed by Cook's suggestion of it, after all hadn't they all suffered so much already? But after six months the stores they were raiding in the villages had started to run empty and the cities were roaming with armed gangs who had no problem with stealing; or killing. They'd had no choice but to start to steal from other people. They'd struck lucky with the Land Rover, and the bounty would go a long way to feeding the seven of them for a few more weeks. There were even some medical supplies with decent painkillers and antibiotics, which apart from being particularly handy if someone got sick were excellent bargaining tools when it came to trading with other groups.

They didn't always need to steal. They'd met other people on their travels to find a decent place to call home and there were some trading posts set up along the motorways, where people could trade and barter with the added protection of armed guards watching over. The trading posts had been slow to establish at first, with no one keen to assemble with their prized possessions around so many armed men, but most of the guards were enterprising ex-soldiers. They offered the protection for a small fee and oversaw the trading, ensuring thieves and cutthroats were dealt with effectively.

The kids were a rag tag family of miscreants that had all come together under dubious circumstances, but they had finally found something they were good at; surviving. At first they'd banded together out of necessity, though they all knew each other from college, they hadn't exactly been friends, it had just made sense to stick together, strength in numbers and all that; but six months on they were more like family and the strange group worked.

Naomi had somehow unofficially been appointed the position of head of the family, level headed and quick witted she had been the one to propose getting out of Bristol and looking for a place they could actually live in, not just survive from day to day. She was also one of the few people who could keep Cook in line. He had a heart of gold and would lay his life on the line for the people he thought of as family, and actually had on more than one occasion over the months, but he was a loose cannon and often needed his best friend's calming influence. He had shown an aptitude for hunting and gathering and provided them with fresh meat at least twice a week. Freddie had known Cook since primary school and the pair were thick as thieves, he also helped Naomi keep him under control. He could drive pretty much anything despite never having obtained his driving license and despite being a bit of a stoner he was a hard worker and always pulled his weight in the group.

The stoic Effy was a dangerous beauty and a ruthless trader, she'd be able to sell her own mother if the woman hadn't died in the initial outbreak; like most of their parents. The old and the already sick had never stood a chance, and the grey haired old man at the Land Rover had been a rarity, few survivors were over forty and a lot of the city gangs were just groups of scared kids the same as them.

Panda had been with Effy when Cook and Naomi had found them wandering the streets of Bristol, the bubbly girl didn't have a lot to contribute to the group in the way of hunting or foraging but her ever optimistic attitude kept their spirits up and some days that was more useful than a hot meal. Also her aunt had had a massive house that they had called home for a while and a greenhouse full of weed that had also got them through some of the darker days.

Then there was JJ. He had been friends with Cook and Freddie since high school and was mildly autistic; he had a tendency to get locked on and the world ending hadn't exactly been great for his obsessive tendencies, though since his medication ran out he seemed to have mellowed out a little more. Cook and Freddie were able to keep him on track most days and as an ex scout he was quite useful at telling them what plants and berries were edible and poisonous; and he could make a fire out of anything.

Once they were sure they hadn't been followed Naomi gave Freddie the signal to start heading towards home. Home for them was a farmhouse on the outskirts of Bristol. It had been Naomi's idea to look for a farm; somewhere they could plant crops and raise livestock. They could grow their own food in the summer and harvest it for the harsh winters. It was somewhere they could make a go at their lives rather than surviving from day to day as they had in the city.

They had been living there for a few months and after burying the family that had died there they had managed to get the place up and running. JJ and Panda had shown an aptitude for farming and raising livestock and the others had done what they could to help. Winter was quickly approaching though and they couldn't solely rely on what little the farm provided them with. It would be different come the next winter, if they lasted that long anyway, they would have a full year to forage and harvest. They just had to last the first winter and life would get easier. They were in a better position than most with a wood burning stove for hot meals and a log fire in most of the rooms in the farmhouse. They wouldn't freeze at least; but they'd have to step up their efforts if they didn't want to starve.

The dirt road leading to the farm was long and bumpy and the van's suspension could barely take it. Naomi's stomach was lurching as she finally climbed out of the back of the van and stretched her long legs. A smile crept on to her lips as she caught sight of the smoke rising up from the range cooker in the kitchen. They could all do with a hot meal and a cold beer after the afternoon they'd had. They'd left the farm early that morning and had lain in wait for a passing car long in to the afternoon.

She kicked off her boots at the backdoor and padded in to the kitchen, the slate flooring tiles were cold against her feet as she covered the room in a few strides. The young woman standing by the cooker was oblivious to her presence. She had her back to Naomi as she fussed over a large pan of stew. Her red hair was tied up with one of those headscarves that twisted in to place and loose strands poked out from underneath it. Despite the red hair she looked the epitome of a fifties housewife standing by the stove in her apron. The last member of their little family had been a stranger to all of them, they'd found her on the road one day when they'd been foraging a little further afield a few months back. She'd come from London, where she'd left behind the bodies of everyone she'd known and set off to make a new start somewhere away from the violence of the capital. She wasn't exactly a natural farm hand, or a hunter, but she was an excellent cook and she had settled in to their group like she had always belonged.

She jumped as Naomi's arms slipped around her waist. "Hey." She murmured in the red head's ear as she held her tightly. She hated leaving her alone when they went out, constantly worrying that something would happen to her. She was the youngest of the group by a few months and also the smallest, at barely five foot one she was tiny and the blonde couldn't help but she her as fragile; despite the exact opposite being true. The girl was a fighter and had a mouth that could take anyone on.

"You're back then?" The smaller girl replied rather curtly. She didn't like to be left alone at the farmhouse, not knowing whether the rest of them would come back or not, and often sulked about it.  
"Have I ever once left you?" Naomi quizzed as the smaller girl turned around and hugged her back. Her arms wrapped tightly around her neck, her frazzled mind finally accepting the blonde was home safe. They both knew the answer to that. The redhead owed her life to Naomi and it had made the girls close. Naomi almost thought of the other girl as a sister.

"Am I interrupting something?" Effy stood at the kitchen door, a smirk playing on her lips.  
"I was just about to take Katie on the kitchen table." Naomi joked as she took a step back and perched against the bench beside the cooker. Katie's cheeks flushed as red as her hair as she rolled her eyes. She knew Naomi was gay but it had never really been an issue for her. She'd told her once, as they'd sat in front of the log fire in the living room drinking cheap wine and eating stale biscuits, that her sister had been gay. It had been one of the few times she had mentioned her family and even then she hadn't said much more about it. Naomi knew better than to push. Though she was an only child she had lost her mother, who had been her only family, she knew how painful and utterly useless it was to dwell on the past.

"In your dreams Campbell." Katie snapped playfully as she put a lid on whatever was boiling in the pot, probably another rabbit stew.  
"Every night Fitch, sometimes twice." Naomi winked at the smaller girl as she stole an apple from the fruit bowl and went back out to help the boys unload the van. Katie shook her head at her but smiled as she watched her go. Her attention soon switched to Effy as she held her hands behind her back and told her to pick one.  
"Eff…" Katie rolled her eyes, in no mood for the other girl's games, but she relented as Effy pouted at her and called her a spoil sport. "Fine, left hand."

After a moment of fidgeting Effy held out her empty left hand. Katie grumbled at her and went to walk away but was stopped in her tracks by Effy holding out her other hand to her. In it sat a bar of _Galaxy_ chocolate, Katie's favourite. Katie's eyes lit up as she took the chocolate bar and stared at it like Effy had just handed her a winning lottery ticket. She threw her arms around her in thanks. "You're the best babe."  
"So I'm told." Effy mused as she hugged the smaller girl back. "I thought it would make a good peace offering…we're going out again tomorrow."

The smaller girl's face fell. She knew as well as the rest of them that they needed to stock up on supplies for the coming winter, but it didn't make it any easier to be left behind, wondering if any of them were going to come back maimed or mangled. She pulled away from Effy and climbed up on to the bench to reach a biscuit tin at the very top of one of the cupboards, she stashed the chocolate bar inside of it.  
"Katie don't be like that-"  
"We'll share it after dinner, yeah?" She forced a smile on to her lips as she clambered back down. "Don't want to spoil your appetite."  
"I got it for you." Effy objected. She hadn't intended for Katie to share the chocolate with her.  
"And I want to share it…go clean up, dinner won't be long."

Effy left the other girl to it, knowing when to push something and when to back down. She went back outside and found Naomi and Cook sitting in the back of the empty van, their legs dangling over the side. JJ and Panda were inside going through the supplies, identifying what was needed and what could fetch a good price at trade. Effy would go and cast her own critical eye over it before the final decision on what to sell would be made, but for now she was happy to join the other two in the yard.

It was still early September and the late afternoon sun was high enough in the sky to keep the chill out of the air. Cook held out a pack of cigarettes to her with a triumphant grin. As the only three that smoked they were free to share any tobacco between them and it had been weeks since they had found actual cigarettes, they'd been living on roll ups which had tasted of damp wood. If the winter didn't kill them off then the crappy tobacco they had resorted to smoking probably would.

Effy took the offered pack and helped herself to a cigarette, leaning down to Naomi to get a light from her already lit one. The matches they had were sparse and they couldn't risk wasting any of them. Effy took a long drag, holding the smoke in her lungs for a few moments before finally exhaling, the nicotine rush was a welcome relief and she finally allowed herself to relax. They'd all made it back in one piece and had a respectful haul to show for it. Tomorrow morning they would get up and do it all again, once again risking life and limb for possibly nothing in return, but the nights were their own.

Once the chores were all done they would settle down for one of Katie's delicious home cooked meals, crack open a bottle of wine or two and maybe even indulge in a spliff courtesy of Panda's aunt. They had taken a lot of the crop with them and had converted one of the greenhouses to home them. Life on the farm wasn't all that bad really. It was better than living out of a battered old Land Rover and cooking cans of beans on a camping stove.

"We should go by one of the trading posts tomorrow." Naomi broke the easy silence that had fallen over them as they all satisfied their nicotine cravings. "Leave JJ and Panda to work the farm and Freddie can drive the three of us-"  
"Why don't we bring Katie? She could use a break from this place." Effy tried to sound casual about the suggestion, but the blonde was instantly on edge.  
"No, we stick to the usual plan-"  
"Maybe Katie should get a say for a change." For all Naomi had been adopted as leader of their group it wasn't without the occasional challenge, usually from Cook or Effy. "She's been cooped up here for weeks, what's the harm in taking her to a trade-"  
"It's not happening Effy! End of discussion!" Naomi snapped at her, more out of fear than fury.

When they had first found Katie she had been with a group of unsavoury characters who had picked her up along the motorway. A pretty girl all alone in a broken world had been too much of a temptation for the creeps who had taken her and Naomi had almost suffered the same fate if Katie hadn't shot the bastard who had jumped her. For all she had saved Katie's life getting her away from those men, it had been Katie who had saved her from something far worse than death. She wasn't about to put her in any more danger. It was safer for her on the farm.

"It's not really a discussion is it?" Effy glared at her. The others had no idea what Katie had gone through. All they knew was that Naomi had been separated from Cook and Freddie whilst hunting and when she had made her way back to the van she had a quiet grubby girl with her. Katie had been a mess, with no clean water to bathe in and roughing it in a campsite with her captors, her red hair had been stuck to her head, matted with dirt and grease. Her clothes had been little more than rags and her usually full face had been sallow and hauntingly pale. It had taken a few weeks but the girl had finally recovered and a few hot meals and a change of clothes had gone a long way to helping her.

That had been when Naomi decided they needed to get out of the city and away from other people. Katie had thrived since coming to the farm and had become the seventh member of their family, but Effy was right she was growing more and more restless with every passing day. She wasn't stupid enough to go off on her own, but it wouldn't be long before she started demanding to go with the group.

"Fine." Naomi finally relented, Effy's silence doing far more to convince her than any argument ever could. "I'll talk to her about it. If she wants to go then she can, but we take extra guns and she doesn't leave our side, got it?"  
"Got it." Effy stubbed out the butt of her cigarette and flicked it away, a smug grin on her lips. "I'll tell her."  
"No, I'll _ask _her." Naomi got to her feet and copied Effy, tossing her finished cigarette to the ground. She didn't want Katie bullied in to something if she wasn't ready for it, even if Effy's intentions were good, Katie could still have her off days when the prospect of strangers terrified her. Effy narrowed her eyes at her but dismissed her with a shrug. Naomi wasn't stupid, she knew Effy thought there was something going on between her and Katie; it helped that she had actually accused her to her face not so long ago.

She didn't get what Katie had been through, couldn't understand why Naomi needed to protect her so fiercely. She had mistaken Naomi's concern for something else and the blonde hadn't been able to shake her from the idea, she had promised Katie she would never tell the others what had happened to her. Instead she had questioned Effy's interest in the other girl and the entire thing had blown up in their faces resulting in a screaming match and neither girl speaking to the other for a week. Katie had eventually ended it by locking them both in the kitchen pantry and refusing to let them out until they were speaking again; oblivious that they had been arguing over her.

Leaving Effy and Cook outside Naomi made her way back in to the farmhouse and found Katie setting the table. "Hey Katie, we're going to the trading post tomorrow-"  
"Ok. I'll make you some lunches." She didn't look up from setting the silverware on the table and her voice held a distinctly frosty edge to it. "Effy thinks you should come. Get away from this place for a bit." That caught her attention; she finally looked up at the blonde, a small smile playing on her lips.  
"Really?" As excited as she was at the prospect of a trip out there was still a hint of apprehension in her eyes. The world outside the farm was still a scary place.  
"Only if you're up for it. You don't have to do anything you're not ready for-"  
"Naomi, I'm not a china doll! I'm not going to break if I leave the farm. I'm ready. I want to go…And I'll be with you and Effy, so I know I'll be safe." She handed the tableware over to Naomi with a genuine smile. "Can you finish the table; I'm going to tell Eff!"

Naomi watched her go with a small smile of her own, for all it was nice to see her happy she still couldn't shake the feeling that taking Katie would be a mistake. As safe as the trading posts were pretty girls still attracted the attention of less than savoury characters. There had been a few times when Cook had been approached and given an offer for her or Effy. The last time they'd been out some dirty old pervert had offered him a goat for Naomi. He'd been close to accepting when she'd smacked him around the head and informed the old man exactly where the hunting knife strapped to her leg would end up if he so much as looked at her wrong. They'd almost been thrown out of the trading post for it. The soldiers didn't put up with any crap there and they were good at their jobs, any trouble makers were banned, regardless of who started what.

Pushing her niggling doubt aside Naomi decided there was no taking the offer back, and it probably would do Katie good to get off the farm for a bit; she would just have to make sure Cook and Effy understood to stick to the smaller girl like glue. Katie was family and the last thing any of them needed was to lose any one else.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed and I'm glad it seems to have had a good reception. I've had this idea kicking around in my head for a while and decided to finally start writing it after re-watching Survivors the other day. It will be another chapter or two before Emily's absence is explained, but don't worry I promise there will be Naomily! Also I wrote most of this chapter straight after posting the first as I'm off work this week, but I can't generally promise updates will always be that quick.

Dinner time on the farm was the usual ritual. Once everything was plated up Katie called them all down to the kitchen, her voice easily carrying throughout the house. They always tried to eat together at meal times, even when Naomi and Effy hadn't been speaking they had never missed a meal together. The original table in the kitchen had only been big enough for four and they'd had to go in to the city to get a bigger one from one of the furniture outlet stores. Luckily not many people were foraging for dining room tables so they had the run of the place and had come back with a lot of decent stuff to help make the farmhouse feel more like home. Cook had insisted on going for the biggest most expensive dining table they could find. As a result they had ended up with a ten seat dining table made of solid oak that they had barely managed to squeeze in to the dining room that sat just off the kitchen.

It was a tight fit and some of them had to manoeuvre in and out of their seats, but the table acted as the centre of the house, and gave the seven of them a place to eat, plan excursions and hold essential house meetings that helped stop them from descending in to chaos. They all had their usual seats and Naomi's was at the head of the table, though it was hardly pride of place as it was the most difficult to climb in to. It also involved clambering over Cook, who always seemed to get to the table before her, ensuring she would have to climb over his lap. "Hands." She scowled and slapped him on the chest as he offered to 'help her over'. It was the same every meal time.

"Aww, come on Blondie, have a heart. The Cookie monster hasn't had no loving in weeks!"  
"That's hard to imagine Cook." Effy smiled sweetly at him from the other side of the table. "Seeing as you're such a wanker." The table erupted in to a fit of laughter at Cook's expense, causing him to grumble in annoyance and finally let Naomi climb over him to her seat. She didn't take it personally; Cook had made a move on most of the girls in the months since they had all been forced together. Of course he had been trying to get Naomi to sleep with him since she was fourteen. Even after she'd came out as being gay at sixteen he had ever stopped trying to get in her pants. They had just celebrated her eighteenth birthday at the start of the month with a huge party. It had taken Cook and Freddie weeks of scavenging at night to get together enough drink. Naomi had been touched by the gesture, but it hadn't stopped her going off on one at them about going in to the city alone at night. The city of Bristol was dangerous enough during the day with the roving gangs of survivors, never mind in the dead of night.

"This is some good stew Katiekins!" Cook praised with his mouth full of rabbit stew. It was the third time that week they'd had rabbit stew, but it definitely beat the days in the city when they'd lived on cold tins of beans and jars of pickled onions. "How about you and me have us some dessert later?" He winked at her, shamelessly trying to turn his charms on her. Naomi glanced across the table and caught Effy's jaw tightening as she narrowed her eyes at Cook. Katie could more than hold her own though and shot him down straight away.  
"Not if you were the last man on earth Cook."  
"I might be one day Red-"  
"Don't call me that." Katie snapped at him unexpectedly. It wasn't something he'd called her before, but she reacted to the nickname like she was sick of hearing it.  
"Whoa, chill Katiekins!" Cook held his hands up in mock surrender.

The group descended in to an awkward silence, with only the sound of forks scraping against plates filling the dining room. Effy and Naomi shared an uneasy look between them. Once Katie was finished she excused herself from the dining room, as the one who did all the cooking she didn't often have to do the washing up, but they all usually sat around the table long after everyone was finished, playing card games or one of the many board games JJ and Panda had found in one of the rooms upstairs. Effy waited a few minutes before looking towards Naomi, the blonde nodded her head ever so slightly and Effy silently got up from the table and after a quick trip to the kitchen she made her way upstairs.

Katie's room was at the end of the hallway, the furthest from the stairs. Effy didn't bother to knock and just walked right in. She found Katie lying on her bed, staring absently out of the window. She flopped down beside her and lay on her side, facing the smaller girl. Katie's eyes were red and glassy, it was clear she was fighting back tears. "Dessert?" Effy pulled out the chocolate bar she'd recovered from the kitchen cupboard, coaxing a smile out of the other girl. She unwrapped the chocolate and broke a square off for herself before handing it over to Katie. The redhead broke off a square for herself and popped in to her mouth. They silently savoured the chocolate, neither girl speaking a word until it was gone.  
"So…want to talk about it?" Effy wasn't going to push it, she wasn't bothered why Katie had kicked off, just that she had. She was clearly upset and it would take more than chocolate to cheer her up.

She let out a heavy sigh as she rolled on to her back and stared up at the ceiling, avoiding Effy's gaze. "Emily dyed her hair red first." It was the first time Katie had mentioned her sister's name, but Effy didn't need to ask who she was talking about. Her face always took on a haunted expression the few times she spoke about her family, especially when she mentioned her twin. "Everyone at school always called her Red." She ran a hand through her own fading red locks. Her natural brown roots had already grown through months ago and her hair was looking dull and limp.  
"We'll dye it tomorrow." Effy promised her, finally catching her gaze again. She rolled back on to her side to face the other girl with a frown.

"I don't have any hair dye-"  
"I'll find you some at the trading post. I can get my hands on anything." She smirked at the redhead. "What colour do you want?"  
"Purple." Katie replied, and Effy wasn't sure whether she actually wanted purple hair or she was just trying to be awkward. Either way Effy would hold her to it. She would find her a purple hair dye at the trading post. If there wasn't any on offer she would twist Freddie's arm to take her foraging in the nearest village. Naomi would probably twist her face, but putting a smile on Katie's face was more important than keeping a scowl off Naomi's.

"Purple." Effy repeated, keeping her smirk firmly in place. "That could be tricky-"  
"Well if it's too much for you…" Katie interrupted her, her tone light and teasing and her eyes finally dry. Effy's distraction was working.  
"Did I say that?" She snapped playfully at the smaller girl as she twirled a lock of her red hair between her fingers. "It'll just be a hard trade, that's all…might have to make it worth my while."  
"Oh?" Katie made no attempt to move as Effy dropped her hair and leant in closer, her gaze dropping to the smaller girl's lips. "And what would make it worth your while?"  
"I'll think of something…" Katie's eyes closed as Effy brought her lips forward; they had barely grazed Katie's when the door opened. Katie almost fell off the bed with how quickly she shot back from Effy.

"Sorry. I just wanted my book…" Naomi looked sheepishly between the two of them as she walked over to the other side of the room and picked up the battered paperback off her bed. Katie and Naomi shared the bedroom at the end of the corridor while Effy and Panda had the one next to it. JJ had the small single room by the stairs and Cook and Freddie had converted the downstairs study in to a room for themselves. "Sorry." She added again as she made a hasty retreat from the room, casting an apologetic smile at Effy.

Katie stood by the side of the bed, wringing her hands together. The moment had passed and Effy knew she wasn't about to lie back down on the bed with her. "I think I'm going to have an early night. Big day out tomorrow."  
"Good idea." Effy nodded, her eyes still trained on Katie's lips. "I'll see you in the morning."  
"Yeah, see you." Katie didn't attempt to move an inch before Effy made her way to the door. She heard it lock behind her as the redhead turned the key in the lock from the inside.

Katie had been nervous around the guys when she had first joined them and had often locked the door, even when Naomi was inside with her. She had never used the lock to keep Effy out though. "Nice cock-block." She scowled at Naomi as she flung herself down on the sofa opposite the blonde. She was tucked up by the fireplace in the tatty old arm chair she had refused to let Cook throw out when they had got the new furniture. The fire had been lit by JJ earlier in the evening and the room was bathed in a warm orange light. Naomi had lit a candle on the table beside her to help her see her book. With no electricity they had all had to become accustomed to living by candle light as soon as the sun went down. Panda had started eating tinned carrots on an almost daily basis, insisting they would help her see in the dark. Naomi had tried to point out that the notion that carrots helped people to see in the dark was propaganda from World War II. It had gone completely over her head.

Naomi rolled her eyes at her as she put her book aside and ran a hand through her hair. "I told you she was straight."  
"Sexuality is a social construction." Effy argued. "Besides her twin was gay, more chance she is."  
"I thought sexuality was a social construction, not genetic?" Naomi shot back with a smug smirk, earning another scowl from the girl sitting opposite her.  
"Fuck off, cock-block. Like you wouldn't go there, lezza."  
"Please, she's like my sister." Naomi rolled her eyes again and picked up her book. There was a noticeable colouring in her cheeks though as she effectively ended the conversation and went back to reading.  
"Course she is, by the way your book's upside down." Naomi flipped her off as she turned the book the right way round. "I'm going to bed, I'll see you in the morning."  
"We're leaving at dawn." Naomi tossed over her shoulder as Effy made her way out of the living room and back upstairs.

Panda was already in bed, her blonde pigtails poking out the top of the duvet as she softly snored in to her pillow. Effy slipped out of her leggings and pulled her top over her head before climbing in to the double bed and crawling under the covers. She and Panda had opted to keep the double bed that was already in the room, most nights it was a comfort to have a warm body lying beside her. That night however it wasn't. Effy tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable. Beside her Panda's snoring had grown irritatingly loud and she kept rolling on to Effy's side of the bed.

Effy lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling. There was stick on glow in the dark shapes dotted all over it. When they had first moved in Panda had been terrified by the darkness in the room. In the city there had always been the glow of a fire somewhere, but out in the countryside there was nothing. The stickers had helped settle Panda and Effy often found herself lying awake picking out the different shapes in the darkness.

It was late by the time she finally drifted off to sleep and she woke up again a few times during the night. Before she knew it the sun was starting to slowly creep over the horizon. She slipped out of bed and pulled on some jeans and a baggy hoodie. The trading post was no place for low cut tops and high heels, though sometimes her feminine charms could bag a sweeter trade. They were still essentially a group of kids and had to look the part if they wanted to be taken seriously. She pulled her hair up and made her way downstairs to find the others.

They were sitting in the dining room eating dry cereal. They had a cow for milk, but it was JJ's job to milk her and they'd used the last of what he'd collected the day before. Effy was glad to see Katie had dressed down too; Naomi had probably spent all morning lecturing her. She wore a chequered shirt over a pair of Naomi's combats with the legs rolled up, and her hair was pulled up and tucked under a baseball cap. She wasn't packing a weapon, but the other three were well equipped in case anything kicked off. Cook would take one of the shotguns and Naomi had her sidearm and her knife holster strapped to her. Effy was pretty sure she wore the damn thing to bed. "Ready to go?" Effy wasn't a breakfast person and was keen to get on the road. The nearest trading post was a good twenty miles out, but the one they preferred to use was almost forty miles away. The the roads were practically empty these days, few people had been well enough to drive their cars in the last days of civilisation so most of them sat patiently on people's drives, waiting to be stolen or to have their petrol syphoned off. It would still take them about an hour to reach the trading post though, speeding would waste what little petrol they had left. Eventually they would have to start using the farm's reserve of red diesel that was meant for tractors.

"You sure you're ok with this?" Naomi turned to Katie as Cook followed Effy out to the van. They'd already loaded up what they intended to trade the night before. They also had a rough idea what they needed from the other traders; including Effy's personal challenge.  
"I'm fine. Stop fussing." Katie gave her a reassuring smile before following the others out. The sun had finally broken over the horizon, casting a dim light over the yard. It had been raining all night and the mud was thick and clarty as they trudged over to the van. Effy was driving since Freddie had offered to stay behind and help JJ with his chores on the farm. Effy was pretty certain the lazy fucker just wanted an extra hour in bed, but she didn't mind driving, it guaranteed her a seat up front. With only three seats and four of them going one of them had to sit in the back. Cook offered to go in the back on the way there, giving the girls the seats up front.

"I'll sit in the back with Cook, he was smoking last night, the last thing we need is him getting the munchies and eating everything we brought to trade." Naomi joined him in the back of the van and banged on the side to let Effy know she was inside. The opening to the back of the van had been blocked off with a panel of wood, which was useful to stop anyone seeing who or what they had in the back if they ever came across strangers. Everyone was potential threat to them and having two armed bodies in the back was a lot more useful if nobody could see they were there.

Katie sat curled in the seat by the passenger door, as far from Effy as she could get. She was unusually quiet and kept her gaze trained on the road, watching as it turned from worn dirt track to the cracked concrete of the motorway. They followed the path of the M32 out of Bristol and joined the M4. The further they travelled along it the more unsettled Katie became. Every road sign they passed announced they were getting closer London. "How far are we going?" She finally broke her self-imposed silence.  
"About another ten miles, why?"  
"Not London then?"

Effy snorted at her question and shook her head. However bad Bristol had become the country's capital was probably ten times worse. JJ had been calculating survival rates in his spare time, judging it roughly on how many people they had encountered in the city before they'd left and the people they met on the roads when trading. He'd guessed that roughly one percent of the population had survived the outbreak and maybe a quarter of those had died from violence or starvation. That still left a good three million people spread throughout the country, all struggling for survival and fighting over what was left. Most of those would have migrated south to the nation's capital, believing they could find some sort of government or aid. Nothing could tempt Effy to go to what had been the most densely populated city in the country. The streets of London had been dangerous enough before the virus struck and civilisation had collapsed. She could only imagine the anarchy since law and order had given way to mob rule.

Katie relaxed a little when she reassured her they weren't going that far east. Though Katie had rarely spoken about where she came from it was clear from her accent that she had grown up somewhere near the capital. She'd probably seen a lot worse than they had in Bristol in the first few weeks of the outbreak. "The trading post's set up on the RAF Lyneham base, just outside Wooton Basset. The soldiers that survived the outbreak had found themselves in a perfect position to set up a market place that they could easily defend." The vast supplies on the base had enticed a lot of survivors to go there intending to loot the base; instead they'd had to bargain for the goods they needed and word had spread among the nomadic survivors about just how much could be found there. There were other traders closer to Bristol, but the base offered extra protection and it was worth the journey.

A lot of the traders had made their home there too and it had been easy for Effy to make connections and win people over, getting her much better deals than she would have at other trading posts. When they pulled up outside the base two guards stood blocking the road and beckoned for Effy to wind down her window. One of them recognised her and offered her an easy smile. "Alright Effy? Freddie not driving today?" He was a handsome man in his mid-twenties and in another life Effy might have been tempted to shag him, but the last thing she needed was to mix business with pleasure. She was also aware Katie was staring daggers beside her as the man drooled over her.  
"He's catching up on his beauty sleep, Sam." Effy replied with the same familiar ease. "Boy's got no stamina." She winked at him and he erupted in to a roar of laughter.  
"Good one. Cook in the back is he?"

Effy honked on the horn and the back door popped open. Cook and Naomi emerged from the back and stretched their limbs before walking up to the front. Cook pulled the young soldier in for a hug, happily slapping him on the back as Naomi tossed the other one a wave. "Alright Sammie? How's it going mate?"  
"Not bad Cookie, not bad. Who's this then?" He nodded his head towards Katie as she warily watched the other soldier walk around to the back and check inside the van.  
"This is Katie. She's family, doesn't get out much."  
"Nice to meet you Katie. I'm Flight Lieutenant Sam Winters." He held out his hand for Katie as she climbed out of the van. She took it and forced a polite smile on to her lips. She was still wary of strangers, especially when they were carrying rifles.

"All clear Sam." The other soldier nodded towards the flight lieutenant once he'd checked the front cabin of the van too. He held Effy's revolver in his hand and Katie instantly felt on edge. She looked back over her shoulder to check on the other girl, but Effy looked perfectly at ease, apparently having parted with her weapon of her own free will. Cook handed over his shotgun and even Naomi parted with her hip and leg holster. Sam took all the weapons and walked in to the booth by the front gate. He emerged a moment later and handed a cloakroom ticket over to Cook. The only ones allowed to be armed on the base were the soldiers. Though weapons were bought and sold on the base they were tightly controlled and supervised.

Katie felt vulnerable knowing none of her party was armed, but once they were all back in the van Effy let her in on a secret. "You don't think Cook and Naomi would give up everything, do you?" She shot her a conspiratorial smile that told her they all still had something for their protection. Rather than reassure her it just unsettled Katie all the more. If they had managed to keep weapons on them then surely other people did too? Effy reached over and squeezed her knee for reassurance. Katie almost shot out of her seat, though Effy pretended not to notice her reaction.

They drove along the main road leading in to the base and found their way to the largest hanger on the base. The planes had long been gone, replaced by endless stalls, cars and vans in what seemed to Katie to be a massive car boot sale. Effy parked the van outside and the four of them loaded themselves up with the rucksacks filled with what they had to trade. Effy and Cook went one way, leaving Naomi with Katie. They would all meet up once they'd had a scout around to see what they could find. Once they had the essentials they could trade what they had left for anything that caught their eye.

Katie was like a kid in a toy shop as she perused the stalls with Naomi in tow. A lot of the traders knew the blonde from dealing with Effy and Katie finally began to relax as she saw how laid back Naomi was around the traders. She knew the other girl wouldn't let anything happen to her. Still she kept her baseball cap down low and avoided making eye contact with anyone. After a while Effy and Cook joined them again and they discussed what they had found from their list and what extras they had spotted.

Effy did most of the bartering and Katie had to admit it was pretty impressive the way she haggled for the best deal she could get. As she watched Effy doing her thing she failed to spot an older man watching her from a few stalls away. He was dressed in camouflage gear but wasn't a soldier. He was quite portly and had a scraggly beard that was streaked with grey. He nudged a younger man beside him who was wearing a trucker's hat low across his face. "That's Fitch isn't it?" He hissed, keeping his voice low for fear of being overheard. The other man followed his gaze and scrutinized the girl he was pointing towards. She was the right height and build, maybe a little fuller in the face, and the bits of hair poking out from under her cap were definitely red, but they were too far away to get a good look at her face.  
"Maybe. I can't tell." He frowned at the man in camo gear. "If it is, we've just struck the jackpot mate. What's the reward up to now?"

"Keep your voice down!" The older man hissed at his companion. "Do you want everyone to know it's her?" He returned his gaze to the girl and watched as she closely followed the other teenagers around the stalls. They kept a close eye on her for a good hour and soon realised the others weren't leaving her alone for a second.  
"Maybe they're turning her in themselves?" The younger man whispered to his companion. The older one scratched his bearded chin with his grubby fingers.  
"Maybe. We won't be able to do anything here. We'll follow them when they go. Ambush them on the road…the bounty on that bitches' head will see us through the winter mate!" He slapped his younger companion on the back as he howled in laughter. They'd definitely struck it lucky in finding the Fitch girl.

"Naomi…." Effy started, her eyes were glued to the useless trinkets on one of the stalls but her voice low and serious.  
"I see them." Naomi replied as she picked up a random book and seemed to be fascinated by it.  
"Who?" Katie frowned, looking between the two girls.  
"Eyes front Katekins." Cook ordered in a low hiss as he too pretended to be interested in the crap on the stall in front of them. "Two men over there have been watching us all morning."  
"Watching Katie." Effy corrected and Naomi had to stop herself from turning to glare at her. The last thing she needed was for Katie to be spooked on her first trip away from the farm. She was right of course. The men had their sights set on Katie.

Whether they intended to make an offer for her or just try to take her was unclear, but one thing Naomi was certain of was that they would get nowhere near her. "Have we got everything?"  
"Just about. Nothing we can't live without." Effy replied as she slipped up beside Katie and took hold of her hand, lacing their fingers together. Katie didn't protest. She was shaking as she struggled not to turn around and try to see what men they were talking about. "Act casual." Effy whispered in her ear. It was easier said than done. Katie was terrified by the prospect of two men watching her. In her old life she'd caught the attention of men on a daily basis, both old and young, and had loved the attention; but that had been before she'd been taken from the side of the road and kept against her will.

She did her best to walk with Effy and not look over her shoulder. Naomi walked ahead of them, with Cook bringing up the rear. To the outside world they looked like they were still casually browsing the stalls, occasionally stopping to pick things up or talk to a familiar face, but Naomi and Cook were focusing on everyone around them, anyone who so much as looked at Katie was being added to the potential hostile list. Effy's sole attention was on Katie, and her fingertips were softly rubbing against the inside of her palm, trying to keep her calm. Katie was grateful to have her there.

They slowly made their way back to the van, aware the men were still following them, though they were trying to keep a safe distance. When they got in to the van Naomi sat up front and ushered Katie in to the middle seat. If the men tried to stop the van they would have to go through Naomi and Effy to get to her. Cook was sat in the back, perched by the back door and looking out of a small rust hole in the door. They were nearly at the front gate when Effy noticed a blue pickup truck driving up from the hanger. They stopped at the gate and Cook and Naomi hopped out to collect their weapons, Effy kept the engine running and her eyes on the wing mirror, keeping the truck in view.

Katie watched as Cook walked right up to Sam and started talking in to his ear. The young lieutenant squinted at the truck in the distance and nodded before shouting to the other soldier. They all went in to the booth and Naomi and Cook returned to the van with their weapons. The two soldiers had their rifles ready in their hands. Sam nodded towards Effy and stepped aside to let her pass. She floored it as soon as they were off the base. As Katie leant over Naomi to look in the other wing mirror she saw the blue truck stop at the gate and Sam yank the older man out by his T-shirt. Within seconds they were out of sight of the base and the two men.

Effy kept her speed up until they were a good ten miles from the base and took a different route home to the one they had taken, choosing to use the smaller roads rather than the motorway. They arrived back on the farm in half the time it had taken them to get to the base in the first place. Katie was still spooked, but she felt reassured that the men hadn't had the chance to follow them, even if they had got past the soldiers they wouldn't have been able to pick up their tail.

"Why don't you go lie down for a bit?" Katie was still shaking and her face was pale as she climbed out of the van. Naomi knew it had been a bad idea to take her with them. The confidence Katie had built back over the months seemed to have completely disappeared, leaving her a terrified mess again. She nodded at the blonde and gave her a quick hug before heading back in to the house. Effy watched her go, reluctant to let her go off herself, as though the men were going to jump out and snatch her. "This was a mistake-" Naomi started but Effy cut her off.  
"I know. It was my fault, I get it." She snapped, angrier with herself than the blonde trying to lecture her. She didn't need to be told she had fucked up.

"I'm going to check on her." She waited for Naomi to object or to start lecturing her again, but the other girl relented with a nod of her head, agreeing someone should be with her. No doubt she'd go and check on Katie herself once the van was unloaded and the others had been told about what had happened. They'd be on edge for a few days at least, keeping a look out for strangers in blue trucks.

Effy found Katie's door locked when she tried the handle. She knocked softly on the door, not wanting to intimidate the other girl. She didn't expect her to let her in, but after a moment the lock turned and the door opened. Katie sat back down on her bed with her legs tucked up to her chest as Effy walked in and closed the door behind her. As an afterthought she turned back to it and turned the lock. "How you holding up?" The other girl shrugged her shoulders at her, her head resting on her knees as she stared past her at a spot on the wall. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pushed you to come-"  
"It was my choice." Katie finally spoke up, though she still wouldn't look at Effy.

"I've got something for you." Effy pulled the small backpack off her shoulder and rifled through it for what she was looking for. When she pulled out a small box and tossed it to Katie the smaller girl's eyes lit up. She stared at the box in her hands as though Effy had just given her a diamond ring.  
"You got it." A smile finally crossed Katie's lips as she put the purple hair dye aside and got to her feet to wrap her arms around Effy's neck. She pressed her lips to the other girl's cheek. "Thank you." It was a small gesture, but it meant the world to Katie.  
"I'll do it for you know if you'd like?" Effy offered as she let go of the smaller girl and picked up the discarded box. The dye was a deep purple and Effy couldn't wait to see what it would look like on the other girl. She was pretty sure Katie was more than ready for a change too.

"Bet it was hard to get, huh?" Katie took the box out of her hand and tossed it back on to her bed, looking up expectantly at Effy. She felt the mood shift and shrugged in response, taking a step closer to the redhead.  
"I know some people." Her lips curled up in to a smile as Katie stood her ground and didn't attempt to move away from her. "Was no big deal-" She fell silent as Katie's lips pressed against her own. Effy barely had time to respond when she pulled away, a blush spreading over her cheeks. Still, it was better than Katie running away from her. She pushed her luck and leant forward, softly pressing her lips against Katie's and pulling away almost as quickly. She didn't want to scare her off. The trauma of the morning seemed forgotten and she was almost back to her old self as she shot Effy an unusually shy smile.  
"Thanks Eff."


	3. Chapter 3

Katie ran a hand through her hair, plumping it up in the mirror in front of her. It was a deep rich maroon purple colour and she loved it. Effy had trimmed it for her too, getting rid of the scraggily split ends and leaving her hair looking full and shiny. With the red finally gone it was easier to look at herself in the mirror. It had been almost six months since she had lost her family and loosing Emily had been the hardest on her. The twins had been close and had grown up inseparable. By the time they had started high school and Emily had come out as gay they had drifted apart slightly, but fundamentally they had still been like two halves of the same person. Losing her had been harder than walking in to her parents' room and finding the two of them huddled together in their bed, their eyes closed like they were sleeping and their skin stone cold to the touch.

James had still been alive at that point. The twins had had to lie to him about why their mother couldn't sit by his bedside and wipe his feverish brow. He'd only lasted a couple of days after that, which was longer than most. Many people had died within a day of contracting the virus. Emily had started coughing the morning before James had died. She'd tried to hide it from her twin, but Katie hadn't been fooled. Emily had fought it for longer than the rest of their family had; but the last morning Katie had woken up in the room they'd shared she hadn't been able to wake her sister up. For some inexplicable reason Katie had been spared and had never developed any symptoms of the virus. She'd packed a bag and left her house for the last time, leaving her dead family lying in their beds. London had descended in to chaos and she'd had the good sense to try and get out of the city.

She'd been wandering the countryside for weeks, going from village to village in search of food and shelter, when she'd been found by the two brothers who had taken her. She'd spent three long weeks with them before Naomi had found her. They'd ambushed the fiery blonde whilst she'd been out hunting and had dragged her back to their camp. They'd greatly underestimated her though and while one of the brothers had been out collecting firewood the other one had tried to force himself on to Naomi. She'd wrestled her gun back off him and somehow it had ended up in Katie's hands. She'd pulled the trigger without a second thought and watched her tormentor drop dead in front of her. She'd felt no pity or remorse, only relief.

Naomi had snatched the gun from her hands and started dragging her through the woods back to where she was supposed to be meeting Cook and Freddie. They'd seen no sign of the other brother and the thought that he was still out there somewhere still made Katie's blood run cold. She'd been just as wary of Cook and Freddie that day too, expecting them to be as twisted and cruel as the brothers; but Naomi had reassured her to go back with them and she'd found herself at Panda's aunt's house, surrounded by a group of strangers who took her in without question. She'd lost her whole family but in coming to Bristol she'd found another one.

There wasn't a day that went by that she didn't wish Emily could have been there with her though. She would have loved it in Bristol with the ragtag family Katie had found herself a part of. Though she probably would have made a move on Naomi and Katie wasn't sure how happy she would have been fighting her twin for the blonde's attention. Naomi had become a lifeline of sorts for her over the months, one she wasn't quite sure she could give up. "Effy's done a good job." Katie looked at the mirror again and found Naomi reflected in it. She had expected a visit from her earlier, but the other girl had kept her distance, letting Katie spend some time with Effy. She turned around and found her leaning against their bedroom door, a wary smile on her lips. "Nice colour."  
"Thought it was time to get rid of the red…make a fresh start." Katie shrugged. Naomi was one of the few people in the group who she had opened up to about her family and understood the significance of Katie's red hair. Keeping it for so long had been a tribute of sorts to Emily; but the oldest twin knew it was time to let her go. She had a new family and dwelling on the past wouldn't bring her old one back.

"Want to talk about what happened today?" Naomi sat down on Katie's bed since the other girl was hovering by the mirror beside hers. They hadn't spoken about what had happened at the trading post as Effy had spent all afternoon doing her hair, trying to keep her distracted and her mind off what had happened that morning. She shrugged in response as she pulled her hair up and tied it with a band. She walked over to her bed and took a seat beside the blonde, idly picking at the crochet blanket at the bottom of her bed. "Did you recognise either of those men? I mean, when you were with those brothers did they…" Naomi trailed off, unable to finish what she was going to say. She knew how distressing that time of Katie's life had been and seldom brought it up. Something had been bugging her about the two men all morning though and she couldn't quite shake it.

Katie was an attractive young woman, no doubt about it, but there had been plenty of women at the trading post. The men had to have known Naomi and the other two had spotted them and yet they'd still tried to come after Katie. Had they been banking on trying to overpower Cook and taking all three women, making it worth the risk of following them? Or had it been Katie in particular they'd wanted? Naomi couldn't push aside the thought that they had targeted her and the only reason she could think of as to why was the time she had spent in the woods with the brothers.

"No." Despite not being able to finish her question Katie understood exactly what she was trying to hint at. "It was just the brothers. They kept away from the main roads and camped in the woods. If other people got too close they'd lock me in the caravan and we'd move camp. I don't know why those men were watching me."  
"Maybe they've got a thing for midgets?" Naomi teased, trying to take the conversation back away from the dark place it had gone too.  
"Fuck off, Campbell!" Katie slapped her with one of her pillows, giggling as Naomi picked up a pillow of her own to defend herself.

Naomi Campbell had been the only reason Katie had coped over the last few months. After losing her family and three weeks of being held by those men she had all but given up on life and would have happily lay down in the woods and just waited to die. Naomi hadn't let her though. She had brought her to the group, given her a home and a family for the first time in months and almost adopted Katie as a sister. It wasn't the same as having Emily back, and the blonde could be a bit of a moody cow sometimes, but it was nice to still have someone to confide in.

When they finally called a truce in their pillow fight Katie lay down and curled up beside the blonde. Naomi ran a hand soothingly through her hair until the smaller girl's eyes closed. Once she was sure Katie was asleep she slipped off the bed and tiptoed out of the room. It was time for dinner and Panda and JJ had prepared it since Katie had gone off the farm. When Naomi climbed over Cook to get to her chair she sat down and found herself facing some sort of lumpy anaemic looking macaroni cheese. It had been a long day and they'd missed lunch so Naomi forced herself to swallow every mouthful. They couldn't afford to waste food.

They ate in relative silence, and though the others didn't know all the details about what had gone on at the trading post the tension in the air was palpable. "How's Katie?" Freddie turned to his left to question Naomi. He'd been angry with himself all day for not being there to help them out, but as Naomi had pointed out there wasn't a lot he could have done. Naomi used the question as an excuse to put her fork down and give herself a rest from forcing the sticky cheesy pasta down her throat. She took a sip of her water and let out a sigh.  
"She's sleeping. It just really shook her, you know?"  
"We should go back tomorrow and see if those dickheads are still there-"  
"We don't need the trouble." Naomi snapped at him. She knew he was only concerned about Katie, but it was the kind of thing she expected from Cook, not Freddie.  
"Blondie's right. Last thing we need is to draw them here, or to get kicked out of the trading post. We keep Katie here and anyone comes looking for her,_ then _we sort the fuckers out."

Naomi shared a wary look with Cook. He clearly thought the same as her, that Katie had been targeted on purpose. Effy looked between the two of them and scowled. Naomi didn't want to bring it up in front of the others though so she waited until the three of them were outside in the yard smoking. "Something you're not telling us Cook?" She quizzed as he offered her his lighter to spark up. He pulled a face at her as he lit his own cigarette.  
"I've heard things when we've been at the trading post, that's all." He shrugged his broad shoulders, trying to dismiss his answer. Naomi didn't give up so easily though and pushed him to continue. "You hear about people looking for people, yeah? I mean everywhere you go someone's looking for someone, and there's all them pictures up on the wall next to the stalls…well I heard some people are looking for someone, offering a pretty hefty reward-"  
"And this has what to do with Katie?" Effy snapped impatiently, the nicotine doing nothing to calm her nerves.

"They're looking for a girl, eighteen, small, red hair-"  
"Katie?"  
"Not quite." Cook stuck his tab between lips as he fished in his back pocket and pulled out a crinkled folded over photograph. He handed it to Naomi who stared at it in disbelief. Effy stood over her shoulder, her eyes narrowing on the picture of a young redheaded girl. "People at the post said her name's-"  
"Emily." Naomi and Effy both answered for him.  
"She's Katie's twin sister." Effy added in response to Cook's puzzled expression. He knew Katie had a sister, but he hadn't known it was her twin. He'd simply presumed that it had been a coincidence how closely she resembled her.  
"She's also dead." Naomi added. "So why would anyone be looking for her?"

Cook shrugged his shoulders at her again. "All I heard is that some group are looking for her, they're pretty big, thirty settlers easy. They're supposed to be led by some politician or something, they've settled in a village outside the city. Apparently her mother's with them and she's looking for her. "  
"Her mother's dead." Naomi pocketed the photo, thankful that Cook had had the sense to take it down from the wall. It had clearly been ripped down the middle and whoever the girl had her arm around had been cut out. Naomi was willing to bet it had been Katie. "Let's keep this to ourselves for now, yeah? I'll talk to Katie." Effy looked like she wanted to object, but reluctantly nodded. She couldn't deny Naomi had a bond with the other girl that would make it easier to bring up her dead twin in conversation.

When the three of them trudged back in to the house the first thing they heard was Panda shouting from the top of the stairs. "Effy! Naomi! Come upstairs, we're having a girlie night!" Naomi rolled her eyes and Effy clenched her jaw. She loved the bumbling blonde dearly but if she woke Katie up she would kill her. When they got upstairs though they found the room Panda and Effy shared empty. The other blonde stuck her head out of the door down the hall and shouted loudly for them again. Pandora Moon definitely did not have an 'indoor' voice.

When Naomi led the way to her own room she found Panda sitting on Katie's bed with her. The smaller girl was wide awake and painting her toe nails a vibrant lilac colour to match her hair. Pandora's were already four different colours and she was working on making her big toe a luminous yellow. Katie smiled warmly at the other two girls as they closed the door behind them. Effy took a seat on Katie's bed, sitting directly beside her with her knee pushed against her thigh, while Naomi dragged the beanbag chair they had from over by the window and plonked down on that.

Pandora had certainly been busy. There was an array of makeup and gossip magazines littering the bed and floor and a large supply of sweets and chocolate beside her on the bed. It was clear she was trying to cheer Katie up, the younger blonde had a heart of gold and Effy felt a surge of pride for her childhood friend. "What do you think?" Katie held her foot up for Effy's scrutiny once she had finished painting her last toe.

"I like Panda's better." Effy tried to keep a straight face but when Katie petulantly stuck her tongue out at her she couldn't hold back her grin any longer. She picked up a neon pink bottle and tossed it to Naomi. "I think that would suit you." Naomi frowned at the offending bottle, as though Effy had just thrown anthrax at her instead of nail varnish. Growing up with Cook and Freddie as her best friends had meant she was never exactly overtly girly, and six months in a post-apocalyptic Bristol hadn't exactly been great for keeping her cuticles in perfect order either.  
"I'll pass." She put the bottle on the floor and picked up one of the glossy magazines, it was at least seven months old and most of the people in it were more than likely dead, but Panda had definitely had a brain wave in putting on a girl's night for them all. It wasn't often the four of them spent time alone trying to be just regular teenage girls.

As Effy painted Katie's fingernails to match her toes Katie kept peering over Naomi's shoulder at what she was reading, commenting on every horrid dress or disastrous haircut. It was a glimpse of the girl she had been before the virus had struck, before she had been held against her will in a dank filthy caravan, and with each passing day Naomi was seeing more and more of her emerge. It was nice to see her adjusting, Naomi had worried that the morning at the trading post might have set her back a bit, but after an hour of makeup and gossip she seemed her old self; better than that even.

Naomi was pretty sure Katie's jovial mood had something to do with Effy. They had barely stopped touching all night, whether one was doing the other's nails or they were just sitting so close that their limbs brushed against one another. The blonde couldn't deny the tinge of jealousy she felt, though she had been honest with Effy when she had said she didn't fancy Katie like that, she just missed having that with someone; to be so at ease with someone that your mind subconsciously seeks out a constant physical connection. Katie had spoken about her twin's sexuality, sharing stories with Naomi of how disastrous Emily's coming out to their mother had gone, and how much of a cow her first girlfriend had been, but she had never really spoken about her own sexuality. Watching her with Effy Naomi wasn't sure she would qualify as completely straight by anyone's standards.

The light touches and playful smiles seemed to go unnoticed by the oblivious Panda, but Naomi who had spent months looking after her new family was a lot more conscious of their actions. She was always watching the others to gauge their moods and thought of herself as a pretty good judge of people, she could tell when tensions were fraying or spirits were dropping and had taken it upon herself to boost moral with daytrips to the seaside and spontaneous picnics in the top field. She kept an emergency ration of feel good food for such emergencies, as it seemed Panda did too with the hoard she'd dumped on Katie's bed.

The conversation inevitably led to the usual cliché of boys, with Panda asking which of the boys they would all sleep with before loudly declaring she'd like to surf and turf with both Cook and Freddie, and maybe JJ at a push. Effy laughed and called her a slut. "Well we've got to start thinking about these things, haven't we? I mean, we've got to repopulate the earth! That's what they always say, isn't it?" Naomi and Katie cracked up laughing at her in response, both horrified by the thought of little miniature Cookie Monsters running around the place. Effy seemed a little more sobered by the thought of children.

"Would you really want to bring a kid in to this world?" She asked the others as she picked at a mars bar. "I mean the world was fucked up enough before, but now…it'd just be fucking cruel."  
"I dunno." Naomi shrugged, she had never really thought about the prospect of having children, even before the world had gone to shit she had never planned on having kids. She could see Effy's point thought, they were facing a life of hardship, but at least they had the knowledge of a better time, something to strive towards as they rebuilt civilisation; their kids wouldn't have that kind of hope, just a life of misery and struggle. Panda started ranting about the children being their future and sounded more like a folk singer than a teenage girl.

"What about you Katie?" Panda quizzed, noticing how silent the other girl had been. "Would you want to have kids someday?" Katie looked up from the magazine in her lap and stared at them all as if she hadn't been following the conversation. Naomi wasn't fooled though; she had watched the smaller girl fidgeting uncomfortably as Panda had spoken about how many babies she wanted.  
"I can't." She shrugged it off like it was no big deal.  
"Just ignore those two miseries Katie!" Panda grinned, misunderstanding the smaller girl's words. "We can have as many kids as we want, just think of them all running around the place-"  
"No Panda." Katie's voice rose a little higher and cracked as she added. "I mean I can't physically have kids."

"Come on girls, we've still got a bottle of champagne to finish." Effy picked up the unopened bottle from the pile of discarded ones on the floor, popping the cork and instantly distracting the others. They filled their glasses and Katie seemed more than happy at the prospect of getting off her face.

When Naomi slipped out for another cigarette Effy stayed inside, seemingly quite comfortable with Katie lying over her legs. It gave the blonde some time to herself to think things over. She held the crinkled photograph in one hand and her cigarette in the other, scrutinizing the young woman's image. She looked almost identical to Katie at first glance, but on closer inspection she seemed to have more defined cheek bones whereas Katie's face was rounder. Staring at the picture Naomi began to wonder about the other differences between the twins, the ones she couldn't pick up from a photograph.

Did Emily have the same light lisp as Katie? It wasn't always noticeable with the older twin; it mostly emerged when she was stressed or tired. In the first weeks Katie had barely been able to speak a word without her lips being pronounced. It had taken a while but she had eventually gotten it under control again and had become confident enough to speak to the others.

She knew she would have to tell Katie eventually and the longer it was put off the harder it would be. But how was she supposed to tell her that her supposedly dead twin had a bounty on her head? If Emily had really died, then why were people looking for her? Was it really Katie these people were looking for? Had she at some point used her twin's name and gotten in to some sort of trouble she wouldn't or couldn't admit to? Was she even Katie Fitch? It wasn't like they were all walking around with ID anymore. The young woman upstairs could have been anyone.

Naomi sat on the low wall just outside the house long after her tab had burnt away. Eventually she pushed herself back on to her feet and made her way upstairs, having reached a decision. Katie was family. Regardless of what was going on Naomi would support her. If there was a possibility that her twin was still alive then she would move heaven and earth to help Katie find her. When she gets back to the room though Panda's nowhere in sight and Effy and Katie are curled up on Katie's bed, fast asleep. A quick check in Effy's room revealed Panda had put herself to bed and with that mystery solved Naomi made her way back in to her own room. She pulled the crochet blanket out from under Effy's legs, with Katie's shorter ones not coming near it, and draped it over the pair of them before climbing in to her own bed. She would have to wait until morning to speak to Katie about what she had found out. She only hoped her nerve would hold out that long.

In the middle of the night, long after the candles had burned out and the room had been plunged in to darkness, Naomi was woken by the covers being pulled back, exposing her back to the icy air. It was soon gone though as a warm body slid in beside her. She was used to being joined in bed by the other girl, in the first few weeks Katie had never slept alone, and whenever she was upset or had a nightmare she still climbed in to bed with the blonde. Naomi reached an arm behind her to take Katie's hand, her fingers locking through the other girl's in a familiar gesture. Katie buried her face in the crook of the blonde's neck.

Naomi was more than aware that when Effy woke up she would find them curled up in bed and reach the wrong conclusion, but with Katie pressed in to her side, quietly sobbing in to her hair, she could have cared less about Effy. She brought Katie's hand over her stomach and up to her lips, pressing her lips softly against it. "Let's go have some tea." Katie loved tea and if a steaming hot cup of sweet Earl Grey couldn't stop her tears then nothing could. The girls pulled on thick jumpers, trying to stave off the cold that had settled over the house once the sun went down. Naomi dragged the duvet off her bed and draped it around Katie's shoulders before taking her hand and leading her down to the kitchen.

She put a few logs on the range cooker and struck a match to light them so that she could boil the water for their tea. There were few times she missed electricity more than when she was standing in the freezing cold kitchen waiting for a pan of water to boil. Katie sat on the bench with the duvet wrapped around her and extended it to Naomi once their tea was ready and the blonde took a seat beside her. They drank in silence, savouring the piping hot tea. It was a ritual they often indulged in, sharing a cuppa in the middle of the night when everyone else was asleep. It was nice, spending time together without having to watch what they said. The others didn't understand what had happened to make them so close; and they never could. Katie had made that perfectly clear. She didn't want their pity or to be seen as a victim. It was the only way she had been able to put it all behind her and carry on.

She'd put up with so much in their short lives, they all had of course, but Katie had been through more than most. Naomi wasn't sure how she would cope with what she had to tell her, but she couldn't put it off and she would prefer to do it without an audience. Reaching in to her pocket she felt her fingers graze against the photograph and knew she had to finally tell her. "Cook thinks he knows why those men were interested in you…" She started, trying to plan her words carefully.  
"My winning personality, yeah?"  
"He…he found this." Naomi's hands were shaking as she pulled out the photograph and handed it over to the other girl. Katie frowned at it.

"How the fuck did he get this?" She spat, glowering at the torn photograph. "And why'd he rip it for? The fucking cock!"  
"It was already ripped." Naomi frowned, not quite following the conversation. "He got it off the missing person's wall on the trading post. Someone claiming to be her mother has offered a reward to find her-"  
"My mother's dead!" Katie snapped defensively. "Emily's dead! Why would anyone put her picture up-"  
"Maybe they're looking for you? It's a big reward; I don't think this is just about finding someone who's missing. It's more like a bounty…maybe the other brother's looking for us-"  
"No." Katie cut her off and hopped down from the bench, she stormed back upstairs, leaving Naomi to follow after her. Once they reached the room they shared she tried to quieten her footsteps, aware Effy was still sleeping soundly in her bed.

She reached under the bed and brought out a tattered rucksack. It was the only thing she had taken from the caravan when they had made their escape and Naomi hadn't realised she still had it. She lit a candle to give the other girl some light as she emptied the contents of the bag on to the floor. Sitting crossed leg beside her Naomi watched as Katie picked up a small black purse and opened it. Apparently she did still walk around with her ID, because Naomi saw a flash of her driving license as she rifled through the purse and eventually pulled out a folded photograph. She seemed momentarily relieved to still find it in once piece and held it out for Naomi to get a good look at. She was staring at the same photograph she had taken from Cook, except this one wasn't ripped down the middle and clearly showed Katie with her arm around Emily. Both twins were smiling up at the camera. They looked happy; close.

"Ems had a copy too. She kept it in her purse. They only way someone could have this is if they got it from her. Someone went to my house and took this from my dead fucking sister's purse, why?" Katie's eyes were wide with tears. "Why would anybody do that? That fucking hillbilly that took me, he didn't know about Emily, he couldn't have known where we lived. He can't be behind this-"  
"This has to be about Emily-"  
"No!" Katie snatched the photo from her hands. "Emily's dead! Ok! She was infected, she was dead!"

Naomi could understand why Katie needed so desperately to believe that. If Emily was somehow still alive then that meant Katie had left her twin behind. It was easier for her to believe she was dead than to face that possibility. Naomi felt her throat closing up as she tried to convince her. "When my mum was near the end, she went really cold to touch, and her heart went really slow…she was like that for hours before she finally passed, maybe-"  
"No!" Katie hissed, shaking her head from side to side in denial. "She got sick! How many survivors have you heard of that got sick? We're the immune ones; we didn't die because we couldn't catch it! Emily did and she died!" Her voice was rising with every word and Naomi heard Effy begin to rouse.  
"You're twins Katie, if you're immune then Emily should have been. Maybe she caught it, but her body fought it off, or maybe it was something else, like food poisoning…"

She trailed off as Katie's tears finally began to fall and she started sobbing uncontrollably. "Katie…" She lurched forward and threw her arms around the blonde, crying in to her shoulder.  
"I left her!" Katie choked out through loud sobs. "Oh my god, I left her!"  
"It's going to be ok." Naomi looked up as she heard Effy's calm voice in the darkness. She had climbed out of bed and sat on the floor with her arms wrapped around Katie, so that they were both holding on to her. She'd apparently caught most of their conversation since Katie had stormed in to the room. "If Emily is alive, then we'll find her… She's family, right?"

Her intense eyes settled on Naomi and the blonde knew she was saying what Katie needed to hear. It would be almost impossible to find Katie's twin, especially if she was messed up in something as Cook presumed. The bounty on her head was too high to just be for a missing person. Whatever Emily Fitch had gotten herself mixed up in she had obviously had the good sense to go in to hiding. Of course Naomi knew that Katie needed to hear that they would find her missing twin, so she swallowed the lump in her throat and held on to the other girl all the more tightly as she nodded. "Right. We'll find her Katie. I promise."

**A/N:**Once again a big thanks to everyone reading and reviewing! So Emily is coming in to this as promised, I have a rough idea where I'm going with this fic and I'm trying to get as far in to it as I can before I go back to work next week.


	4. Chapter 4

It took some convincing but Naomi and Effy managed to persuade Katie to get some sleep. After all there wasn't anything they could do in the middle of the night. Katie had thought her sister was dead for almost six months; it wasn't like they were going to find her in a night. It wasn't easy, but with the three of them curled up in one bed, with Katie pressed in the middle, she finally fell asleep. Effy lay with her arms wrapped protectively around the smaller girl's body, her face buried in her hair, while Naomi lay facing her, Katie's own face buried in her chest. Naomi found it harder to drift off; her mind was wide awake and refusing to shut down. Every little noise seemed to rouse her back awake. They were the normal noises of the farm, the animals, the wind rustling against the trees and claiming the first leaves of autumn, Panda's snoring from next door, yet what should have been familiar and soothing simply set the blonde on edge.

When they had first moved out to the countryside she had barely slept a wink for weeks on end. Every noise had seemed strange and unnatural and had kept her awake and on edge. They had soon become accustomed to the noises and even the smells around the farm, much the way Katie had adapted to life without her twin. Naomi couldn't imagine what it would be like to be told that a seemingly dead sister was still alive. She couldn't imagine what Katie was going through, she could only try and be there for her and offer her a shoulder to cry on. She could swear to help her find her twin, but then there was no guarantee that Emily was even still alive if people were after her. For all they knew they could be chasing a ghost.

Katie hadn't done very well on her own, and from what she had told Naomi about her twin it didn't seem likely Emily would have done much better. The younger twin had always been the shyer of the two, happy to follow Katie's lead, at least until they got to college and then she had started to go her own way, chasing girls and trying to find the confidence she had been missing for so long. Obviously she had found her way in to some kind of trouble if people were looking for her.

She wasn't looking forward to the morning. She knew Katie would be gung-ho about going off after Emily, but in all honesty they didn't have the first clue where to start. Excursions off the farm were dangerous enough without being spontaneous and to god knows where. She supposed they could start at the Trading Post, maybe talk to Sam and see if he knew anything about those two guys, he was bound to have taken their details in case they went back to cause trouble. They could also ask about the settlers and where about they were based. Whoever was looking for Emily was clearly lying about being her mother, but if they could find out why they wanted the youngest twin it would be easier to find her. If she was hiding from a murder rap or something then she wasn't likely to make it easy for her to be found.

Naomi hoped they wouldn't have to go and speak to the settlers who were looking for her, if there had been some trouble then taking Katie would be like adding fuel to the fire, and the last thing they needed was to attract any attention. If the settlers took in strays then there was a good chance some of the survivors had encountered Naomi and her family on the highway, which again could lead to an explosive situation. There were other neighbouring groups they were friends with of course, and they knew a lot of traders, maybe there was a chance one of them knew something about Emily Fitch? It was an avenue they could at least explore if the trading posts didn't work out.

By the time morning came and Katie stirred, at the crack of dawn thanks to the damn rooster that sat on the wall below their window every morning, Naomi had formulated something of a plan and was ready to face her. The more prepared she seemed the more she would be able to reassure Katie to listen to her; as well as the rest of the group. As much as they accepted Katie as family it might be difficult to convince them to go trailing around the country looking for a girl who could still be dead.

They called a house meeting after waking Panda and the boys up and all trudged downstairs to the dining room. JJ had already been up for a while and had collected eggs from the chicken coop. So as Effy helped Katie make breakfast for everyone Naomi explained the situation to the rest of the group, aware Katie was straining her ears to hear what was being said.  
"So she's still alive? Shit, Katiekins, that's rough." Cook was still kicking himself for not realising who the girl was earlier, but there wasn't much they could have done anyway so Katie reassured him with a brief hug as she put his scrambled egg down in front of him. "So what's the plan?" He looked to Naomi, just as the rest of them did, and she was glad she had spent half the night asking herself the very same question.  
"We go back to the trading post, JJ and Panda can stay and keep watch on the farm, we'll load the van up with a few supplies and maybe a few things to use as an incentive to get people to talk to us. Freds, I need you to check the van's ok for the trip, Cook you and me will check the weapons, Effy and Katie can load the provisions-"

"You're letting me come with you?" Katie seemed genuinely surprised; she had been gearing herself up for a fight with the blonde all morning, expecting her to tell her that it would be too dangerous for her. At the top of the table Naomi shrugged her shoulders at her.  
"I'd rather you came with us than took the car and went off on your own." Naomi wasn't stupid; she knew the best place for Katie was right in front of her, where she could keep an eye on the other girl. She was scared and desperate and that tended to be a bad mix when it came to Katie. Naomi had enough to worry about without wondering whether Katie would still be there when she got back. Winter was still creeping up on them and they couldn't afford to lose sight of that. They could spend a week or two looking for Emily, but if they couldn't at least determine if she was still alive then it would be up to Naomi to talk Katie round. For the time being though she could indulge Katie by taking her out with them.

"Right, so everyone knows what they're doing, we'll finish breakfast then aim to be on the road in an hour. It looks like it's going to rain and I want us to take advantage of the sunlight why we've got it." Her calm, rational façade always seemed to help kick the others in to gear, and as ever Katie was smiling up at her with something close to awe. Naomi would never dare tell her that she held no hope of finding her sister; the smaller girl was fragile enough and already hanging over a rather thin ledge. Losing her twin twice would definitely push her over it.

They finished their breakfast in relative silence and once their plates were clear they all set about with the tasks Naomi had given them. Katie started making packed lunches while Effy loaded the van with stuff to trade and the camping equipment they always took with them in case they couldn't get back to the farm. "You want me to give Katie a gun?" Cook quizzed as he stripped and cleaned his favourite pistol, a semi-automatic Glock 9mm with a mounted sight rail and custom grip handle, it was practically his baby. Naomi hadn't considered giving Katie a weapon, since they rarely took her off the farm it hadn't really come up.

"I don't know." Would it be a good idea to give Katie a loaded weapon when she was so close to snapping? What if they found out Emily was dead, or had suffered a fate similar to Katie's? They needed answers, not bodies. Could she trust Katie to keep a lid on her notoriously short temper? Then she thought of the last time Katie had held a gun, how she'd shot a man dead to protect Naomi. Her face had been pale and her hands had shaken as she'd held her arms up long after the man had dropped. The blonde had been forced to slowly approach her and pry the gun out of her hands. She had been so scared back then, totally defenceless in a world that had gone to shit. Naomi couldn't put her back out there without any protection.

She examined their stock of weapons and sought out the lightest pistol she could find by touch. Cook, who had become something of a gun fanatic since the world ended, informed her it was a good choice; A Beretta Tomcat pistol.  
"It's not all that accurate but there's less kick back, less chance of her ending up on her arse."  
"Let's see how she handles it first, less chance of one of us being shot in the arse." Naomi replied dryly as she made sure the safety was on before she tucked the gun in to her belt. The last thing they needed was for Katie to shoot one of them, or herself.

Once they had stripped and cleaned everything they would need and loaded them in to the van they went to find Katie and Effy. The girls were just about finished with the provisions and Katie was getting impatient to leave. "We're leaving soon. First we need to give you a lesson with this." Naomi pulled the gun out of the waistband of her trousers and handed it over to Katie. "We don't know what we might be getting in to and I need to know you're going to be able to use this." Of course she'd seen the other girl shoot a gun before, but that had been at close range and she'd been fuelled by desperation. She wasn't sure Katie would even want to carry one.

Katie's eyes narrowed on the gun like it was a poisonous snake. Naomi hadn't been sure if she would take it or not, and she waited with baited breath for her to protest. "Fuck is this? How am I meant to hit anything with this shit?"  
"We'll give you some pointers." Effy smirked, earning a glare from Effy. She turned and walked up to the other girl, slipped her arm around her waist and pulled Effy's Glock out of the waistband of her jeans.  
"Sweetie, I'll give _you _some pointers."

As they stood out in one of the top fields Katie stood with her feet a shoulder's with apart and her arms as steady as a rock as she held them out, Effy's gun gripped firmly in her hands. She squeezed the trigger four times and knocked off three of the tin cans that Cook had set up on the fence. One shot went wild but overall it was pretty impressive shooting. Naomi suddenly realised that Katie hitting the guy who had attacked her hadn't been a fluke at all. She knew how to handle a gun. Behind her Effy quirked her brow, impressed by Katie's hidden talent. Cook stared at her in awe, as much as he loved guns he was nowhere near as good a shot as the pint sized girl. "Fuck me Katiekins! Where'd you learn to shoot?"

"Dad started taking me and Emily paintballing when we were seven…Ems was always more in to it. We did some target shooting with BB guns too." She shrugged like it was no big deal as she put the safety on and offered the gun back to Effy. She waved it off. It was obviously in better hands with Katie.  
"Keep it. We ready to go then?"

With one last check on JJ and Panda they got Freddie and piled in to the van. Cook and Naomi sat in the back while the other girls sat up front with Freddie driving. The plan was to go to the Trading Post and try to find out who the men were that had been eyeing Katie up and what they knew about Emily. They'd been driving in silence for a while when Cook finally spoke up, keeping his voice low and even to avoid Katie overhearing. "You really think we're going to find her then?" Naomi looked over her shoulder at the wooden board that cut the back of the van off from the front, as though she could see through it and tell if Katie was listening or not. Out of all of them Cook was probably the most cynical, besides Naomi herself.

"We have to try. What would you do Cook? If you thought there was a chance your brother was still out there-"  
"He's not." Cook snapped, the blonde having hit a raw nerve. "All my family's dead Blondie, just like yours. These kids are the only family we got now; I don't want to be risking that by chasing after a ghost. You get me?"  
"Yeah." Naomi understood where he was coming from. She'd had the same doubts herself, but she also knew that with or without their help Katie would go looking for her twin. She'd lost the last of her family when her mother had died; she couldn't lose Katie. Not after everything they'd been through.

She doubted Katie would have been the kind of person she would have associated with back before the outbreak of the virus. Even if they hadn't lived in different cities, the differences between them would still have been too great for them to get along. Initially Katie had been in shock, quiet and subdued for weeks on end; but slowly she had found a place among the group and her normal boisterous personality had begun to shine through. She was headstrong and argumentative, never the first to back down, much like Naomi. The torment they had shared at the hands of two brothers in the woods had been enough to make them inseparable though. Naomi knew what Katie had been put through, just as she knew how close she had been to the same fate; had it not been for Katie saving her.

The oldest twin had barely survived the world on her own once, Naomi wasn't sure she could do it again. They still had plenty of time until the season changed and they could still forage and trade whilst looking for Emily. As long as they didn't get too side tracked they'd still be ready for the harsh winter. "If there's a chance she's still alive though…it can't hurt to look."  
"It can if we attract the wrong kind of attention."

Cook was right. Of course he was. They didn't know what kind of trouble Emily had gotten herself in, or the kind of people she had become mixed up with. They had escaped the city to get away from gangs of survivors, to build a new peaceful life for themselves, not to throw them straight in to the firing line of yet another gang. Instead of arguing with him she kept quiet. Cook got the message.

They lapsed in to an uneasy silence for the rest of the journey. When they stopped at the trading post Cook opened the back door and the pair of them winced as the light flooded in, assaulting their sensitive eyes. When he climbed out the first thing they saw was Sam standing by the guard station. He didn't look happy. "Alright Sammy? What's crawled up your arse mate?" Cook tried to joke with him but the Lieutenant was having none of it.

"Can't let you in Cook, you and your people have been banned." His voice was as hard as his expression.  
"What?" Naomi snapped as she climbed out after Cook. "What are you talking about? We've done nothing wrong!" In the months they had been going to the trading post they had made sure to keep themselves to themselves, and even Cook had avoided any sort of conflict. That in itself was a miracle.

"Those men who were after you lot yesterday; they shot one of my men when we tried to stop them. I'm sorry Naomi, but you know the rules, any trouble and you're out." Naomi felt a stab of guilt in the pit of her stomach as she realised the young man who had been on guard duty the day before was missing. He had to have been younger than them, maybe seventeen at a push.

"This is bullshit man!" Cook snapped angrily. "They were following us! We did fuck all man-"  
"Cook." Naomi put a calming hand on his shoulder as she watched the solider next to Sam grow nervous, his right hand awfully close to his gun. "Look, we're going ok? Can we just speak to the men first? We need to know why they wanted us-"  
"Be my guest." Sam stepped back and cocked his thumb over to a patch of grass just inside the gate. The bodies of the two men were strung up like Christmas decorations, hanging limply by their necks as a stark reminder of what happened to trouble makers. "Come on. We're going." She shoved Cook back towards the van, aware they were lucky they weren't getting strung up themselves. If it had of been anyone other than Sam on guard they probably would have been.

Freddie and the others piled back in to the van as Naomi shoved Cook inside and they sped off before the soldiers could change their mind. Once they were a few miles down the road Freddie pulled over and the five of them sat by the road, discussing what they could do next. "We're fucked without that trading post." Cook grumbled as he pulled clumps of grass out of the earth and let the breeze take them from his hand. Luckily the rain had held off but the sky was still overcast and gloomy, and the temperature was clearly dropping lower with each passing day.  
"There are other posts cook." Effy reminded him from where she was lying on the grass, her eyes fixed on the clouds above. Of course the other posts were all too close or too far from home for comfort, but they'd figure something out.

"What do we do now?" Katie had been quiet since they'd left the post and Naomi could see the soldier's death was praying heavily on her mind. She wrapped an arm around the smaller girl's waist and Katie laid her head down on her shoulder. Naomi could feel Effy's eyes on her as she placed her lips to her forehead. For all she was trying to comfort the other girl the blonde had no idea what to say to her. They had no way of finding the settlers who were looking for her sister.

It was Effy who answered her question. Sitting up she laced her fingers through Katie's, her thumb purposefully stroking the back of her hand. "We find Emily. There are other posts, we'll ask around, find out who's looking for her and why, and then we _will_ find Emily." Effy was as certain as Naomi was that they were on a wild goose chase, but she would never let Katie see that.

"How? If there's a big reward for her then someone must be trying pretty hard to find her! What chance have we got?" Katie sulked as she lifted her head up from Naomi's shoulder and turned to face Effy, tears filling up in her eyes. Effy smiled at her as she brushed away the first tear that fell down her cheek.  
"_You_." And the omniscient Effy was right as always. They had Emily's twin, if anyone could think like her then it would be Katie. She would know what her sister would do if she was in trouble, where she would run to, where she would hide. "Come on, we can get to at least two trading posts before it gets dark." She got to her feet and pulled Katie up with her, who in turn dragged Naomi to her feet. Effy's attitude seemed to rouse the boys as well, like a virus running between them all and driving them mad enough to believe they could actually find Emily Fitch.

It took them to hours to reach the next trading post and it was nowhere near as sophisticated or as large as the one at the air force base. There was no armed protection or need to check your guns in at the gate and the whole group were on edge as they made their way through the numerous stalls. Most of it was just crap, but Effy managed a few decent trades. They tried to ask about large groups of settlers, feigning interest in joining a larger group for protection, but they couldn't push too far without looking suspicious. They didn't know who was looking for Katie's twin, for all they knew they could have been talking to the very people they were looking for, so they played it cool and kept a careful eye on Katie. Cook kept his arms slung over the smaller girl's shoulders to make sure everyone got the message that she was protected. Freddie kept his arm around Effy's waist, which was ludicrous considering the last time they'd been in any kind of skirmish Effy had dragged a guy off Freddie and knocked him out cold with an empty vodka bottle. Naomi didn't have anyone's arm around her, but with her gun strapped to her hip and a scowl on her face no one so much as leered at her.

They spent a couple of hours there before moving on to the next trading post, it was one closer to home than they usually liked and they hadn't visited it before. It was set up in an old cattle market and seemed to be a little more structured than the last as armed men stopped them at the gate. It wasn't to take their weapons from them though. They instructed them to park just inside the gate next to a row of other cars and once they were parked up they had to wash the bottoms of their shoes in basins filled with diluted bleach. "What's this for then mate? Virus died out months ago." Cook as ever was the first to question the motives of the heavily armed men.  
"We still got cows here, there's mad cow going around what with all them rotting corpses around, we can't be too careful these days." He spoke with a thick West Country accent that was muffled all the more by the thick moustache sitting on his top lip.  
"Nah mate, suppose you can't." Cook looked back at Naomi and they shared a nod of agreement. They would have to set up similar precautions back on the farm for their own livestock. The last thing they needed with winter coming was to lose a large chunk of their food supply.

It was already starting to grow dark as they walked in to the cattle market. They wouldn't have long before they'd have to head back to the farm. Driving home in the dark was risky enough without the lights by the side of the road, but they also risked being carjacked or attacked for their supplies. Naomi started to grow restless within the hour, but Katie tried to persuade her to stay a little longer. The blonde was just about to call it a day when someone grabbed Katie's arm.  
"Emily?"

They reacted in the blink of an eye and the guy who had grabbed her found three guns trained on him. Effy had hers pressed square between the guys eye's. He soon let go of Katie's arm and she scrambled for cover behind Effy, pulling her own gun. "Whoa! Easy!" The guy held his hand up in surrender and tried to take a step back, it only served to push the barrel of Naomi's gun harder against his back.  
"Who the fuck do you think you are punk?" Cook growled at him as he took a threatening step forward. The kid barely looked older than they were. His eyes were wide with fear and his face had gone ashen as he stared at the guns.

"I'm sorry! I thought she was someone else!" He'd caught a proper look of Katie and had realised his mistake.  
"Emily." She stepped forward to face him, keeping hold of Effy's hand. They all lowered their guns as they realised they were starting to attract attention. They kept them all in their hands though, ready in case they needed them. "Where is she? Where the fuck is my sister?"  
"I don't know! That's why I grabbed your arm, I thought you were her!"  
"How do you know her?" Cook asked gruffly as they all carried on walking to the van, pushing the kid along with them. He didn't object, not that he could with so many guns discreetly trained on him. He was quite thin and gangly and had the look of a stoner.

"We met in London! She was trying to hitch a ride; me and my sister brought her to Bristol. That's our van over there!" He pointed to an old VW campervan parked a few cards down from their own van. There was a girl sitting in front of the steering wheel and her eyes widened as she saw the group of armed teens around her brother. She rushed over to them, but instead of trying to help her friend she ran to Katie and threw her arms around her neck as she crushed their lips together. Effy pulled her away at the same time as Katie pushed her and the girl went stumbling back, falling on her arse. Her eyes widened as they settled on Katie.  
"You're not Emily."  
"No shit Sherlock!" Katie snapped as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Effy stood glued to her side, glaring at the brunette sitting on her backside in the mud.  
"You're Katie…but…you're supposed to be dead!"

Katie tucked her gun away and the others warily followed suit. She was certain Emily wouldn't have told anyone about her supposedly 'dead' twin if she wasn't friends with them. Judging by the way the girl had just tried to shove her tongue down Katie's throat she was willing to bet she'd been more than friendly with Emily. It turned out the girl's name was Lauren, and the kid they had caught in the cattle market was called Luke. They were twins too and shared the same short curly brown hair and gangly build. They had met Emily when she'd first been trying to get out of London and had spent three weeks driving around the south looking for supplies. Eventually Emily had opened up about her own twin.

"We bumped in to a group of survivors on the road; they said they knew a village where a big group had set up a settlement. They were looking for new members, offering food and shelter in exchange for work. We went to check it out, but it wasn't really for us. Emily decided to stay though." There was a bitter edge to Lauren's voice as she spoke about how Emily had parted from them. It was something Katie was used to hearing when it came to girls and her twin. Emily had been something of a player back in the day, after she'd figured out it wasn't just Katie who people stared at, and they could probably track her down through a trail of heartbroken girls.  
"Why didn't you stay?" Naomi quizzed, still standing guard on Katie's right, with Effy on her left. She was aware they didn't have long before they'd lose the light and she didn't feel like inviting the two strangers back to the farm for a chat. For all they knew they could have been part of the settlers looking for Emily, simply spinning them a tall tale.

Lauren's brother shrugged his shoulders at them and then brushed his long fringe out of his eyes.  
"Something just seemed off about them. We bolted, but Emily wanted to stay…she met this girl." He added in a quieter voice as though his sister wouldn't hear him. From the sneer she pulled she was obviously still sulking about it.  
"Where's this village then?" Effy's tone was harsh, she was still sulking too.

Again Luke shrugged. "I don't remember. This was like five months ago, just after everything went to shit." Lauren couldn't be much help either. Neither of them remembered exactly where the village had been, the settlers had driven them and Luke had probably been too high to pay attention to where they were going, so they were still no further forward. Even if they did find the village they knew Emily wasn't there anymore, and the survivors there obviously wanted her back for a reason. What exactly had she done to make them want her so badly that they were offering a huge reward in food and trade? Had Emily committed some terrible crime? Or had she really made friends and a new life there? Had she been taken or gotten lost whilst out? Did these people care enough about her to offer a mountain of food to get her back? Or was there some deep seated grudge that meant they wouldn't give up looking for her?

"Probably shagged someone's wife." Katie pointed out as they made their way back to the farm. Freddie and Cook were in the back with the girls up front and Effy driving. There was no real malice to her words though; it was the kind of thing a sister could get away with saying, there was even a small smile playing on her lips; though it didn't last long. "She thinks I'm dead." She added after a long pause. "She knows I'd never abandon her otherwise…she must think I'm dead! Or she would have come looking for me, right?"  
"Of course she would." Naomi wrapped her arm around her and pulled her in for a hug since Effy was too occupied with driving the van and keeping them on the road in the virtual darkness. They were nearing the slip road that would take them to the farm and Effy was straining to catch it in the darkness. "That girl said she thought the village was near the beach. So tomorrow we'll head west towards the coast. We'll leave early and stay out as late as we can."

Naomi wasn't sure whether she was trying to kid Katie that they could find her twin, or whether she really believed it herself. They'd been lucky to bump in to the twins, she knew that, it had all been a fluke, but they had somewhere to start and it was more than she had expected. A tiny part of her had started to feel a spark of hope that they could find Emily. "Tell me about her. Emily." Naomi asked out of the blue, trying to keep Katie's mind from darker thoughts. It had always worked before. Katie had talked about her twin non-stop in the early days when they had first started sharing a room, it was something to ease the painful silence between them and safer than talking about the experience they had shared in the woods. Katie knew she had told Naomi everything there was to know about her twin, but she answered anyway, a goofy grin on her face as she told them about the times Emily would pretend to be her to get her out of exams and the time that Katie had accidentally set up two dates on the same night but not wanted to cancel either. So she'd got Emily to cover for her while she was with the other one.

"So we walk out of the cinema and right in to Emily and Mike! She'd taken him to the wrong fucking place!" Katie giggled at the memory of the two boys looking between the twins. Then one had suggested a foursome and had been slapped by the twins and punched by the other guy. Katie smiled as she lay against Naomi's chest, her gaze catching Effy's eye in the rear view mirror. "You'll like her Naoms." Katie had said this many times in the past, only it had always been _you would have liked her_, because Emily was supposed to be dead, but there was a chance this smart beautiful girl that Naomi had been told was dead was maybe alive. Katie was obviously thinking the same thing and poked her in the ribs. "Don't even fucking think about perving on her lezza." The smaller girl teased, though she was still smiling and Naomi got the feeling she was trying to match make already.

That tiny spark inside of Naomi seemed to grow all the more. They would find Emily Fitch. They had to. Naomi couldn't bear to see that smile fade from Katie's face again, and it would take more than Effy's hand on her knee to keep it there. They needed to find Emily; and they needed to do it before anyone else did.


	5. Chapter 5

"Katie, we're home." Naomi nudged the sleeping girl cuddled in to her side. As she stirred her chocolate coloured eyes slowly opened and adjusted to the dark, it took her a few moments to take in where she was. The thick night had blanketed the van in darkness and the only light that shone through the windscreen came from the various solar powered garden lights they had flanked the drive with to lead them safely home. It had been one of Panda's better ideas to use the solar lights and a quick trip to a garden centre had provided them with enough lights to litter them around the farm, mapping out the routes they took most often. The lights were ideal, they gave out enough light to guide the group at night, but not enough to show in the distance and give their position away to anyone looking to raid settlements for supplies.

Katie blinked as she sat up and stretched, she'd only been asleep for an hour or so, but Naomi could tell she was a little out of it. She wore the same puzzled expression she'd often woken up with in the first few weeks they'd been at the farm; when she'd woken up and found Naomi asleep in the bed across the room instead of her twin. "We'll go back out first thing yeah, we'll-"  
"Whatever."

Effy was already standing outside smoking so Katie slipped out of her side of the van and stomped in to the house. She'd obviously woken up in a sour mood. "Maybe it would have been better if she never found out about Emily." Effy commented as she offered the blonde a cigarette. "Losing her twice. That's going to seriously fuck her up." Naomi didn't argue, her speech earlier in the van had been purely for Katie's benefit. She wasn't all that sure they would actually find the youngest twin alive and well. It wasn't like it had been in the earlier days where everyone had just been wandering around picking up food and supplies as they went. Settlements had started to form and armed gangs had stared to claim territories and take passion of everything in them. Survival was growing harder and harder by the day and if Emily wasn't still whatever group she had fallen in to it would be hard for her to get the provisions she needed. Even if she was alive there was a chance she would be dead by winter if they couldn't find her.  
"What if she is dead, and we're leading Katie on a merry little fucking goose chase?" Naomi sighed, her doubts beginning to grow.  
"Then we do what always do. We carry on, pick up the pieces." Effy shrugged as she stumped out her cigarette and followed Katie in to the house; no doubt intending to go help pick up the pieces.

She found her upstairs in the room she shared with Naomi, where she'd spent most of her time when they'd first moved in to the farm. Katie had been wary of the others at first, Effy in particular, and it had taken her a while to become part of the group. Effy silently watched her from the doorway and wondered how long it would take for the other girl to realise she was there as she flew around the room shoving clothes in to a rucksack. "Going somewhere?" She finally asked and Katie almost jumped out of her skin.  
"Jesus, lurk much?" Katie snapped back with a face like thunder as she shoved a packet of biscuits in to the already stuffed bag.  
"You didn't answer my question." Effy stood her ground. She knew exactly what Katie was planning, but she wanted to hear it from her.

"I'm going to find Ems."  
"In the dark? With one bag and a packet of garibaldis? _We'll _go back out in the morning, what difference is a few hours going to make?"  
"What difference?" Katie snarled and Effy knew instantly she had said the wrong thing. "The difference is my sister is out there god knows where and she's probably cold and hungry and…and alone." Katie stopped shouting as Effy stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her. She clung to Effy as she sobbed her eyes out. "She's alone Eff and it's all my fault! I shouldn't have left her, I-"

Effy cut her off with a kiss. Her lips were soft yet insistent as they coaxed Katie in to kissing her back. When she pulled away she kept her arms wrapped tightly around Katie's waist. "You're no good to her like this. Get some sleep and we'll start fresh in the morning. First thing, I promise."  
"I can't sleep. I feel sick…I just need to be doing something." Katie shook her head and tried to pull away to reach for her bag. Effy pushed her backwards instead so that she landed on the end of her bed and then climbed on to her lap.  
"So we'll do something."  
"Effy…" There was a tremble to Katie's voice as she looked up at Effy with wide brown eyes. She was still wary of the other girl and her intentions. She wasn't gay. Emily was the one who kissed girls and climbed in to bed with them, not her.  
"Put a jacket on, it's cold outside." Effy climbed off her lap and waited for her to do as she was told. Katie just sat there, staring up at her, confused by the odd request.

"Why are we going outside?" Katie frowned as Effy walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out a thick coat that Naomi had got the oldest twin when they'd been 'foraging' in a Vivian Westwood store. She was in no mood for the other girl's games.  
"You want a distraction, I'm giving you one." Effy replied matter-of-factly as she helped Katie in to her coat and then buttoned it up. She disappeared in to her own room and came back out wearing a jacket of her own. She also had a rucksack slung over her shoulder. "Come on then." She headed down the stairs, not waiting to see if Katie was following her. She knew she would be.

They slipped out the backdoor, unseen by any of the others. Effy led them back around the front and up past the chicken hutch, still refusing to let Katie know where she was taking her. They left the safety of the paths lit by the solar lights and made their way across one of the fields, down towards the stream. Effy seemed pretty confident in where she was going despite having no light to guide her. Katie hugged her coat against herself, glad Effy had insisted on her wearing it. The nights were growing colder as autumn slowly slipped in to winter. She thought of Emily, all alone somewhere out there and probably freezing. She wouldn't be lucky enough to be living on a farm with a wood burning fire in every room. She wouldn't be surrounded by friends who accepted her like family and chased halfway around the country in search of her missing twin.

"Almost there." Effy insisted as Katie's foul mood got the better of her and she started whining about being cold as they traipsed through the cluster of trees at the end of their field. She wasn't lying either, she led them through a few more trees and they emerged on the other side in a small clearing by a stream. Though the clearing was surrounded by thick trees on all sides the moon reflecting off the water gave the impression of more light, and it was certainly warmer with the trees blocking out the wind.

Effy knelt down in the middle of the clearing and opened her bag. She pulled out a rolled up tartan picnic blanket and placed it on the ground before ushering Katie over. She sat down on it as Effy continued to pull things out of the bag. She pulled out another rolled up blanket but put it aside as she took out a bottle of wine and two big bars of chocolate; _Galaxy, _Katie's favourite.

A smile touched the smaller girl's lips as Effy picked up the blanket she'd put aside and after she'd unrolled it she draped it over Katie's shoulders and then put it over her own, sitting so close to Katie that their thighs touched. They wrapped the blanket tightly around themselves to stave off the chill of the night and settled down with the chocolate and the wine, watching the slow trickling stream. "Can't make a fire in case anyone sees." Effy explained, though part of Katie was sure it was just so she had an excuse for them to stay wrapped up in the blanket.

"This place is nice." Katie commented as she nibbled at her chocolate, it had become something of a rare treat and she intended to keep a few bits for another day. Though it seemed Effy was capable of finding not only chocolate, but Katie's favourite brand, every time she left the farm. "How did you find it?" Effy shrugged in response and her arm brushed against the smaller girl's.

"I like to go exploring, find places I can be alone for a little while." Katie knew what it was like to need some space, for all the world had ended and close to ninety-nine percent of the population had died it seemed time alone was a rarity on the farm. Seven teenagers sharing one house was a challenge in itself without all the drama that came with daily survival.  
"Who did you lose Effy?" Out of them all Effy was the quietest when it came to talking about her previous life, the others had all known each other but when Katie had joined the group they had accepted her with open arms and shared their stories as she had shared most of hers; leaving out the part where she had been held prisoner by those inbred brothers for weeks on end. Effy however had offered very little on her background.

"Everybody." The other girl answered without really answering. It was a tactic of hers, to give vague responses or change the conversation entirely. Katie wasn't going to be fobbed off again though so she pushed for an answer.  
"Yeah, but _who_?" Effy didn't answer her at first; she just kept staring at the ripples in the stream, watching the reflection of the moon bouncing on the surface of the water. Eventually she opened her mouth to reply, though still didn't turn to look at the other girl.  
"My mum, my dad, my brother Tony, his girlfriend Michelle…Panda was the only one left…and Pato of course."  
"Who's Pato?" Katie hadn't heard her mention him before.

A smirk found its way on to Effy's lips and she looked more like her usual self as she steered the conversation away from the people closest to her who had died. "My giraffe. He keeps me sane."  
"That stuffed toy on your bed?" The smaller girl knew she was being played as Effy got her way and they stopped talking about her past.  
"Yes. Like I said, he keeps me sane. I think we all need something like Pato these days, something to keep the madness out."  
"I always had Emily for that."

The oldest twin once again felt terrible for sitting huddled up under a warm blanket, drinking wine and eating chocolate, when she had no idea where her twin was or what she was doing. Effy shifted in closer to her and wrapped an arm around her waist before pressing her lips to her cheek. "We'll find her." Katie turned her head just slightly, brushing her lips against Effy's. The other girl made no attempt to move, keeping her head where it was and allowing Katie the option of either kissing her again or pulling away. She chose to kiss her again and Effy was more than happy with her choice as Katie's lips lingered longer this time.

She felt the smaller girl shaking against her and was pretty sure it wasn't just from the cold. "We better head back before Naomi sends a search party out for you." She stood up and wrapped the blanket around Katie before tossing the empty wine bottle in the stream and stuffing the picnic blanket back in to her bag. She took hold of Katie's hand before setting back off along the path they'd come. She hadn't been kidding about Naomi sending a search party and as they neared the farm house they picked up the light from at least three torches in the darkness.

Ten miles down the road from the farm a lonely car drove slowly down the motorway with its head lights dipped and its occupants cautiously scanning the road for signs of other cars. "We shouldn't have left the trading post so late!" The teenage girl in the back grumbled as her vision began to blur from staring at the passing trees. They'd all heard the stories about carjackers and roaming gangs of survivors killing others over no more than a bottle of water.  
"Yeah, yeah, Emily, we heard the first time!" The young man who was driving shot back at her, sick of hearing her whine. "We needed these supplies." The other person in the car, a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair, made no comment on the argument as he lay with his head against the window, fast asleep. Emily didn't know how he could sleep when there was a chance they could all get their throats slit if they were stopped. Though she supposed the fever he had probably had something to do with it.

They'd barely travelled a mile down the road when the girl's fears were confirmed. From out of nowhere the blinding lights of a Land Rover dazzled the young man driving and he slammed his foot on the break. The second he did another set of lights appeared in the back window from the pickup truck that had pulled out unnoticed behind them at the last turn off.

"Rick!" The girl shrieked as someone got out of the front car and their large silhouette was outlined by the headlights. Another two people got out of the car behind them, and all three of them were carrying weapons.  
"Just take it easy, Emily. Stay here. Dad, Dad." Rick shook the man sleeping in the passenger seat beside him. His father had come down with an infection after getting a cut on his leg and was the very reason they were driving in the dark. The older man had needed antibiotics straight away to stop the leg to turning septic and they'd had no choice but to venture out to the trading post.

"Christ!" He mumbled as he saw the man in front approaching with a gun. They weren't travelling with much, fear of being ambushed had made them leave most of their supplies back at the house they had claimed for their home, but that didn't matter much to the type of people who robbed from other survivors. They would kill over bread crumbs. "Stay calm Emily." The older man repeated what his son had said as he wound down his window, staring at the approaching man and the rifle in his hands.

"Can I help you?" He called out like they hadn't just been forced to stop in the middle of the road. The burly man in front kept his rifle down by his side which was promising. Most hijackers would have shot them dead the second the car stopped.  
"Yes sir you can." The man up front replied as the other two slowly approached the back. "You can all slowly get out of the car and this will go a whole lot easier."

"Dad?" Rick questioned, his hand edging towards the glove compartment where they kept a pistol. The older man shook his head and eased open his door before climbing out of the car and telling the other two to do the same. One of the ones from the truck behind them walked up to Rick and ushered him over to the side of the road where his father was already standing under armed guard beside the burly man who seemed to be in charge. He looked younger than Rick and was wrapped in layer upon layer of clothing, as though not used to the English weather.  
"Nice work Thomas." The burly man nodded at him as he left Rick with him and returned to the car to search it. Emily was still sat in the car, frozen with fear. The man shouted for her to get out but she just couldn't make her legs move.

She shrieked as her door opened and the second person from the pickup appeared. She was another teenage girl, just like Emily and there was nothing scary or intimidating about her. Apart from the gun tucked in to the waistband of her jeans she could have been anyone of the friends Emily had had back in college. "You need to get out and stand with your friends." She coaxed, knowing the young woman was understandably frightened to move. "Come on." She held out her hand and Emily grasped it with her own shaking fingers.

Once she was out of the car Thomas opened the other door to the back seat and started rummaging through their things, his expression focused and determined, completely ignoring the shaking teenager staring at him as her rifled through her bag. "It's ok, we'll take what we need and we'll be gone." The girl holding assured her as her thumb stroked the palm of Emily's hand. Emily still couldn't force herself to move, or tear her eyes off the young black man that had emptied her bag all over the back seat.

"What's your name?" The other girl tried a different tactic and Emily found herself replying out of instinct.  
"Emily…and that's my dad and my brother, not my friends." Her feet started moving as the other teenage led her over to the side of the road where her father and brother were standing. She smiled and Emily had to admit she was an attractive girl, she couldn't understand what she was doing with the kind of people who held up cars.

"That's my name too." She wasn't sure whether the redhead was being honest or simply lying to put her at ease, but she was grateful to her when she placed her hand in her father's and then took a step back from them. After a few minutes Thomas left the car in the middle of the road and jogged over to the burly man with the gun, handing over a handful of goods, including the medicine they had just traded a week's worth of food to get.  
"No wait! My dad needs that!" Emily shot forward but the redhead clamped a hand around her wrist before the burly man could reach for his gun. Thomas looked sheepishly down at the ground as he toyed with the crucifix around his neck.  
"I am so very sorry." He mumbled, unable to look them in the eye. His mother had raised him and his brothers and sisters as good Christians and it pained him to steal from others; but the world had ended and his mother and siblings were dead and he wasn't sure what kind of loving God could let that happen.

"We'll leave the medicine." The redhead urged, trying to avoid any unnecessary violence as the other Emily squirmed in her grip. The burly man with the rifle, Jed, looked at her like he was chewing a wasp but reluctantly agreed and shoved the box of tablets in to Rick's hand before skulking off to his Land Rover to put away the rest of their stolen loot.  
"Thank you." Rick sighed at the teenager. She had not only helped to stop his sister getting killed, but had helped to save their father's life by letting them keep the tablets. "Wait, you're that girl in the-"

Panic flashed in Emily's eyes as the young man recognised her. She pulled her gun from her jeans and Rick looked just as startled as she was as it was shoved in to his stomach.  
"I'm no one." She growled out, glad that only Thomas had been there and not Jed. The last thing she needed was for the greedy bastard to find out how big the bounty on her head was. "Just get in your car and don't stop until you get where you're going." Rick nodded, his wide blue eyes stuck on the gun digging in to his stomach.

Emily and Thomas waited until the family had got in to their car and driven off at full speed before they started walking to their own. Jed's Land rover flew past them, going in the opposite direction to the family's car. "It is getting dangerous I think." Thomas turned to her, his gaze intense. "The others, if they knew what the reward was, they would turn you in-"  
"But not you Thommo, right?" She smiled up at him as she linked her arm in to his. He shook his head in response.  
"No. Never."

As dubious as the group Emily Fitch had found herself in was, she knew she could rely on Thomas to protect her. He had been the one to find her stumbling along the side of the road and had convinced his group that she could be useful, despite her tiny size. It had been hard at first, stealing from innocent people who had already lost so much, but it had been that or face the risk of being caught by the last group she had lived with and that certainly wasn't an option.

They were growing restless to catch her though and Emily knew it would only be a matter of time before someone in her group found out about the reward that was being offered for her 'safe' return to her old people. She tucked her pistol back in to the waist of her jeans and let it linger for a moment. She would put a bullet in her brain long before the others could get her back. Maybe then she could be back with her family, if the heaven and the god that Thomas often talked about were real, then maybe she would be back with her mother and father and James, and her twin Katie; and maybe she'd once again feel like a whole person, rather than the empty shell that had been left behind the day she'd woken up to find herself an orphan.

**A/N:** Thought it was about time Emily came in to this since it is Naomily too, not just Keffy :) Thanks again to everyone who's reading and for all the awesome reviews.


	6. Chapter 6

"Where the fuck have you two been?" Naomi snapped, the beam from her torch practically blinding Katie and Effy as they walked up the drive. When the blonde hadn't been able to find either girl she had instantly presumed the worst, that Katie had run off to find her twin and Effy had followed her. The half packed bag on Katie's bed had suggested something more sinister though and for a terrifying moment Naomi had thought that maybe the surviving brother who had held them in the woods had somehow found Katie. Seeing Katie alive and well had quelled her fears, but fear was quickly replaced with anger. "I was worried sick!"

"Picnic." Effy shrugged, like it was normal to be running around in the dark. For her it probably was, but Naomi wasn't used to Katie going off on moonlit strolls. It was a good sign of course, that she was growing more confident, but Naomi didn't want her just running off without warning.  
"Well next time trying telling someone first! I'm sick and tired of running around after you all!" Naomi snapped at the pair of them, chastising them like naughty school girls. Effy had never been one to endure being spoken down to so she snapped back at her.  
"Who died and put you in charge?"

Naomi's eyes widened with fury as Effy's words hit her like a slap to the face. "Everyone did!" She shouted, her fists balled at her side. "Everyone died Eff! Everyone I ever loved is dead, except for you lot! So forgive me for trying to fucking protect you!" Her words silenced the other two girls. They both dropped their gazes to the floor, their guilt plain to see.  
"Sorry." Katie stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist. "We didn't mean to worry you, I just needed some air." Naomi let out a sigh as she hugged her back.  
"Come on, let's get to bed. We're leaving at first light." She kept an arm around the smaller girl as she called out to Cook and Freddie who were still in one of the fields with their torches.

They all warily trudged back in to the house, Cook locking the dead bolts and putting the chain on the door behind him. When the girls reached the top of the landing Effy pressed her lips to Katie's cheek and mumbled good night before she silently slipped in to the room she shared with Panda. They could hear the other girl's snoring through the door.

Naomi waited until their bedroom door was shut before she smirked at Katie. "So what's going on with you and Effy then?" She flopped on to her own bed as Katie unpacked the bag sitting on her bed. The smaller girl shrugged. Giving up on unpacking she dumped the bag on the floor and pulled out some pyjamas to change in to.  
"I dunno. We get on." She laughed as she pulled her bed shirt down over her head. "I gave Ems such a hard time about being gay…now I'm kissing Effy and going off for midnight walks with her."  
"We'll be going by the coast tomorrow if you want a romantic walk along the beach?" Naomi teased, earning a scowl from the other girl.  
"Fuck off muff muncher! It's not like that…it's just…nice, having someone take an interest."

"Yeah, it is." Naomi bit her lip as she lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling. Even before the world had ended she had been single and with at least ninety percent of the population dead there weren't too many eligible women out there. She'd met a few over the months, both in the city and the countryside, but none of them had really led anywhere. She'd been close to something happening with one woman when they'd first been searching for a farm, it had been something a pipe dream back then, something they talked about while living in an empty flat in the city. Bex had been the leader of a small group of survivors who'd had a similar idea and settled down on a larger farm. The group had taken in Naomi and her ragtag family, and they had been close to settling with them; but Cook had been his usual self and caused enough trouble to get them kicked out. Well, technically Cook had been the only one asked to leave, but as happy as Naomi had been on the farm she couldn't leave him behind. The others had felt the same and they'd left the next morning. Naomi had often thought about what life would be like if she'd stayed with Bex, but one look at Katie was often enough to convince her she'd made the right decision in leaving. Three days after leaving the other farm they'd found the oldest twin in the woods and Naomi had made the decision that they would finally get out of the city and really start to look for a farm of their own.

"I think Cook fancies you." Katie managed to drag Naomi out of her thoughts, causing her to chuckle.  
"Cook hits on anything with legs." She rolled over to face the other girl with a grin, not taking her seriously.  
"No, I mean he _really _fancies you…you've been with guys before, haven't you?"  
"Yeah…but…" Naomi faltered, not really sure how to reply. She'd been with guys when she was younger, though her preferences tended to lean more towards women. Cook was the king of flirts, he was cute and though he could be an arsehole he had a boyish charm that tended to win even Naomi over. He'd tried it on more than enough times, but Naomi had put it down to his natural flirtatious nature. "He's like my brother!" She scoffed; the idea that Cook really fancied her was unnerving.  
"Yeah, well you spend so much time looking after us; you should let someone look after you for a change…I meant what I said you know, Ems is gonna fancy the pants off you."

Naomi swallowed the lump in her throat and forced out a laugh. She still wasn't convinced they would find the other twin alive, or if they would find her at all. With less people in it the world had become a far bigger place. There was no more internet, no phone services or even a mail service. Messages to loved ones scrawled on walls and roads were what passed as communication these days. If Emily had gone much further than Bristol than there was a good chance they wouldn't find a trace of her. With winter quickly approaching there was no way they could trail around the country looking for her; though that was the last thing Katie would want to hear. "Get some sleep; it's going to be another long day tomorrow."

When Katie finally fell silent they both dropped off to sleep, exhausted from the day they'd had. Naomi only managed to get a few hours before she stirred. Something of a light sleeper than Katie she silently crept out of bed and made her way downstairs to start prepping the van again. Once she was happy they were ready to leave as soon as the others were up she sat down at the kitchen table and took her pistol apart to clean it.

Six months earlier she had never even touched a real gun, yet now she could strip one down and put it back together again in under a minute. When the world had effectively ended law and order had fallen and knowing her way around a gun had kept her alive more than once. It was a soothing reassurance to know the pistol at her waist was clean and ready to be fired every time she walked out the front door. The world beyond the farm was a savage place and if she needed to pull a gun chances were she would have to fire. One that jammed would easily get her or someone she loved killed.

Her pacifist mother would never have approved of the gun. Gina Campbell had protested just about everything and had brought her daughter up to be open minded and liberated from the oppression of the society they had lived in. She hadn't batted an eyelid when Naomi had finally come out to her. As much as she had gotten on Naomi's nerves she had only truly appreciated her mother when she was gone.

She sat at the kitchen table, tears stinging her eyes as she stripped the gun for a second time. Dwelling on her mother's death usually put her in a funk that took her days to claw herself out of; she couldn't afford to be crying over what she had lost when Katie had a chance to get her twin back. Even if it was a slim one, there was still a chance, and hope like that in the new world they found themselves in was a rarity.

"Morning Naomi."  
"Hey JJ." She finally looked up from the gun as JJ walked in to the kitchen with a fresh bottle of milk. He sat it in the kitchen sink full of cold water to let it cool before the others woke up. No one liked warm milk with their cornflakes and thankfully JJ was usually the first one up to milk the cows, hours before the others usually rolled out of bed. "How are things?"  
"Good. We're on track for harvesting the last of the crops at the end of the month and we set up stringent infection controls around the farm." Only JJ could describe a bucket full of bleach by each gate as a 'stringent infection control'. Naomi had mentioned their visit to the cattle farm to him when they'd arrived back and he'd set about implementing the precautions straight away. For all Naomi had been appointed as the group leader it was JJ who kept the farm running to a strict schedule. "We could use some more petrol. The red diesel is keeping the tractor going, but we're running low on petrol."  
"I'll make sure we're syphoning a few canisters each day." They couldn't risk transporting a large amount of petrol at once in case it caught light and blew the van up. It was also getting harder and harder to find out in the country, meaning they were getting closer and closer to the city limits and the gangs who ran the streets.

Eventually they would run out of fuel all together and would be forced to abandon their foraging trips. Naomi hoped they would be entirely self-sufficient by the time that happened, but if they wasted too much time off the farm then it would fall in to ruin and they wouldn't survive the winter.

JJ wasn't one for small talk and quickly excused himself to go and feed the chickens, leaving Naomi to put her gun back together and wait for the others to wake up. She didn't have to wait long for Katie and a little while later Effy followed her down. Freddie came later and Cook was the last to rise and Katie was already impatiently sitting in the van when he finally came down for breakfast. "We're leaving in five Cook, hurry it up!" Naomi snapped at him as he poured an extra-large portion of cereal, she'd lost count of how many times she'd spoken to him about portion control and rationing.  
"Yeah, yeah, Blondie, be five minutes babe." He reassured her with a mouthful of cornflakes. True to his word he shovelled spoonful after spoonful in to his mouth and was ready to leave after a few minutes. Which was probably just as well seeing as Katie was reaching new levels of impatience waiting for them.

It was barely six in the morning and the sun had just broken out over the horizon, casting long low shadows over the road as they drove up the dirt path that would lead them back on to the main road. Though it was growing lighter there was still the risk of being carjacked or robbed so the teens kept a constant vigil on the passing scenery, looking out for any sign of an ambush.

Effy drove while Cook and Freddie sat in the back, no doubt fast asleep. Naomi stifled a yawn as she sat with her elbow leaning on the side of the door and her head in her hand. Effy had rolled her window down a crack, using the cold breeze to keep her wake and alert. Naomi pulled the hood of her jacket up over her head and sank lower in to her seat. It was starting to drizzle and she wasn't looking forward to driving to the coast where it would be even colder.

Katie seemed to be the most awake out of all of them as she sat in the middle seat, her eyes scanning the passing countryside. Effy was the first one to break the silence after almost half an hour of driving to get on to the motorway. "We'll drive down to Weston Super-Mare then back up along the coast to Avonmouth. Someone's got to know about this settlement if it's so big."

"Why not start in Avonmouth? It's closer." Katie pointed out, anxious to find her sister.  
"Because if we finish in Super-Mare then we'll be driving back up the M5 in the dark. It makes more sense to be closer to home when it starts getting dark." Effy answered, her logic spot on as always. Sometimes it worried Naomi how easily the other girl thought things like that through, like she'd been destined to live in a world where the old rules didn't apply. "They said they picked Emily up on the way out from London. So they probably took the A34 in to Bristol, then down the M5 towards Weston Super-Mare. So the village has to be somewhere off the M5-"

"What does it matter, Emily's not there anymore." Katie huffed. "I know Emily; if someone's after her she won't stick to one place. Dad used to take us on a load of camping trips; I'll bet she's in the woods somewhere, but she'll be with other people. Neither of us is used to being alone. We should be checking camp sites." Katie had a good point, she would know her twin better than any of them, but they still needed to know what she was running from and whether they'd be safe if they went looking for her. Luckily for Naomi she didn't need to point this out to Katie, Effy did it for her.

"The M5 is our best bet. We drive down it then take the coastal roads back up; we stick to the plan Katie." She snapped at the smaller girl, earning a world famous Katie Fitch death glare for her trouble. "We find out where Emily's been and we'll figure out where she's going."  
"Effy's right." Naomi tried to back her up, but Katie was already in a strop and sat quietly sulking with the pair of them. "There's a trading post down in Weston Super-Mare. We'll start there; ask around about some of the bigger settlements. It might help to narrow down the search."

Katie carried on ignoring her as she pulled out the road atlas and flipped to south Gloucestershire. She sat in silence, studying the area between Bristol and Weston Super-mare, something else in the corner caught her eye and she flipped over to the next page which went further down. "There!" She pointed excitedly at the map, almost making Effy jump out of her skin.  
"Jesus Christ Katie!" Effy snapped as she clung to the steering wheel to stop the van veering off the road. Katie ignored her as she thrust the map under Naomi's nose.  
"There! Exmoor National Park! That's where Emily would go! We went camping with Dad there loads of times. She'll be there, I know it!"

"Katie…" Naomi's tone was as doubtful as Effy's expression. "That's a lot of road to cover. If you're wrong we'll lose a whole tank of petrol, and we won't have enough to get back…we should start with-"  
"Stop the van!" Katie shouted at the top of her lungs, again making Effy jump. The van skidded to a halt on the motorway and they heard the sound of Cook and Freddie being slammed about in the back.  
"What the fuck?" Cook moaned from the back as he picked himself up off the floor and banged on the wood separating the front cabin off. "Nice driving Eff!"

Effy ignored him, her attention squarely on Katie as the smaller girl unbuckled her seat belt and began climbing over her for the door. "I'm leaving."  
"No, you're not." Effy caught her wrists in her hand and pulled her back down on to her lap, her grip tightening as the oldest twin struggled to pull away from her.  
"Yes, I am! I have to find Emily! Now let go of me Effy!"

"Wait!" Effy snapped at her and she finally stopped struggling. "Exmoor National Park? You're sure?" Katie nodded, pouting up at Effy with big brown eyes that made Naomi glad they weren't aimed at her.  
"I _need _to find her Eff."  
"What's going on?" Cook appeared at the open window, an angry red mark on his forehead from where he'd went face first in to the back door. His eyes narrowed on Katie sitting on Effy's lap.  
"We're going to the trading post at Weston Super-Mare." Effy answered, her eyes never leaving Katie's. The smaller girl scowled at her and went to reach for the door handle, but Effy refused to let go of her wrist. "To ask about settlements near Exmoor National Park."

With Katie finally pacified and Cook back in the van they carried on down the motorway to the seaside town where the trading post was set up. Naomi felt uneasy about driving all the way down to Weston Super-mare, never mind further south to the national park. They were going to be burning fuel they couldn't afford to waste on a hunch.

It would take them a good hour to make the thirty mile journey to the trading post, they could have made it in twenty minutes if Effy gunned it, but speeding would only waste more fuel. When they finally reached the trading post down by the seafront Naomi was grateful to get out of the van and stretch her legs. The sun was still low in the sky and the wind coming off the Atlantic chilled her to the bone. She wrapped her jacket tightly around her, hugging her arms to her chest. The clouds were looming thick and grey overhead, threatening to spill open and shower them all in an icy September rain.

It was still early in the morning and the trading post was practically empty. Not many people ventured out before the sun was high in the sky. It would be midday before the trading post filled up, but Naomi didn't want to be hanging around that long. Once the others were all out of the van they decided to split up in to groups to cover more ground. There were only a dozen or so stalls already set up and handful of customers, but it would go a lot faster if they all asked different people. Cook and Freddie went off one way while Effy and Katie went another, Naomi insisted that she'd be fine on her own, she needed some time to herself and she wasn't going to get it while she was cooped up in the van all day.

While the others spoke to the traders she went straight over to the chain link fence that separated the boardwalk from the beach. There were dozens and dozens of notes and photographs attached to it. Every trading post had a place like it, somewhere loved ones left messages for family, telling them they were alive or asking for help in finding someone. Katie's twin was just one missing girl among thousands.

Naomi scanned through the notes, letters, poems and photographs, looking for any sign of Emily's name or of the settlers who were looking for her. It didn't take her long to find a rough sketch of someone who looked similar to Katie. She read the note on the paper,

_'Missing: Emily Fitch, from Southgate London. 17, small, slim build, red hair. Any information please contact Michael Sholes at the fish stand. Reward for relevant information.' _

Naomi tore the paper down from the fence and shoved it in to her pocket before heading over to the stands closest to her. She guessed the fish stand would be close to the beach and it didn't take long to find it. There was a grey haired old man sitting behind a stall full of fish with his feet on an upturned bucket. Most of the fish on the stall were sitting in a variety of ice coolers all labelled with permanent marker to identify them, while others were pickled in jars.

"Can I help you miss?" He spoke with an accent that reminded her of Cook. "Got all sorts here, caught fresh this morning."  
"Are you Michael Sholes?" She dismissed any pleasantries as she pulled out the paper with Emily's sketch on it. The old man's faded blue eyes narrowed on her suspiciously.  
"Depends who's asking." Naomi noticed the subtle shift of the muscles in his arm, as though he was reaching for something down by his side. Naomi pulled her gun from its holster before he could even blink.  
"My friend here is." She nodded down at the gun. "So start talking."

"Easy." The old man slowly raised his hands, holding them up in the air by his shoulders. "I'm Michael. Now what can I do for you miss?" Naomi ignored the stares of the other traders and customers around her, instead she focused on the man in front of her and keeping the arm holding her gun steady.  
"I'm looking for Emily Fitch." She slammed the paper down on his stall in front of him. He slowly looked down at the sketch of Emily and then back up to the young blonde holding a gun on him.  
"Yeah, lot of people are."

"I know why I'm looking for her, but why are you?" Naomi quizzed, wanting to know what it was she and her family were getting themselves in to. The man was too busy staring at her gun to answer her. Naomi lowered it back to her side, but kept it in her hand, wary that the old man could pull something on her from behind the stall. In turn the man lowered his hands, but kept them flat on the stall where she could see them. He wasn't looking to give her an excuse to shoot.  
"Emily was living with us, with my people; we have a settlement down by Bridgwater." Bridgwater was halfway between Weston Super-Mare and Exmoor Park. Katie might have been on to something after all.  
"So why are you looking for her if she left? Why the reward?"  
"She didn't leave us." The old man squinted up at her, his expression solemn. "Emily was one of us, she didn't want to leave. She was taken from us, we were on our way to the trading post and some guys carjacked us and they took Emily with them…that's why we're offering the reward to get her back. Emily was kidnapped…so, why are you looking for her?"

"Naomi!" Both Naomi and the old man looked up as Katie called out to the blonde. The old man's watery eyes narrowed on Katie as he got to his feet. Naomi relaxed a little as she saw he didn't have any weapons on him; well none that she could see.  
"That's not-" She stared but he cut her off.  
"Katie?"

Katie and Effy stopped in their tracks as the old man addressed the smaller girl. From the expression on her face she didn't have a clue who he was. "It is isn't it? Katie Fitch."  
"How do you know my name?" Katie hovered by Effy's side, nervously taking hold of her hand for support.  
"I know your sister, Emily."  
"You've seen her? She's ok?" The oldest twin lost all her inhabitations as she stepped forward towards the man. Naomi still wasn't sold on his story and though she holstered her gun she kept her hand over it for reassurance.

"She was, last time I saw her. That was back in July though. I was just telling your friend here that was kidnapped, by a group of thugs who carjacked us. Why don't you all come down to Bridgwater with me, you can meet our group…they'll tell you I'm telling the truth… we haven't stopped longing for Emily. She's like family."

"This is a bad idea." Naomi pointed out as they all piled back in to the van and filled Cook and Freddie in on where they were going. They all sat in the back with the door closed over, waiting for Michael to pack his stall up and lead them all to his settlement. "Something doesn't feel right."  
"Emily wouldn't have told him my name if she didn't trust them, and that we're from Southgate. That's not something you tell a stranger! If Emily's in trouble, then these people are our best shot at getting her back. They're the good guys Naomi!"

Everything Katie was saying made sense, but it still didn't sit right with Naomi. "Blondie's right. Something smells fishy, and I'm not just talking about that old geezer! Maybe Emily did trust him enough to tell him that stuff,_ once_. What's to say he's telling the truth about her being kidnapped? Maybe Emily left for a good reason!"  
"I don't fucking care what you think Cook, I'm going to find out what they know about Emily!" Katie made her feelings perfectly clear on the subject, forcing Naomi to let out a heavy sigh before shrugging.  
"They don't know about the farm and we're armed…It might be worth the risk."

Katie squealed in excitement as she wrapped her arms around Naomi's neck and hugged her. "Thank you! Thank you!" Cook shook his head at her as he climbed out of the van. His gut was telling him the same thing Naomi's was telling her. They were driving head first in to trouble.  
"You girls stay in the back; me and Freds will ride up front. We see anything we don't like and we get out of there fast, ok?" Katie nodded, though Naomi was sure she would agree to anything if it meant she was doing something to find her twin.

"You kids ready?" Michael called out to them as he pulled up beside the van in a battered old truck. Freddie jumped out of the van and slammed the door shut behind him as he joined Cook up front. Katie and Effy sat on one side of the van while Naomi sat by the door, her gun in her hand and her gaze fixed on the small hole they'd drilled in the back door of the van. If Michael Sholes was leading them in to a trap then she was going to be ready for it.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So** **I'm a northerner and my knowledge of Bristol and the south west is mostly from MapQuest/Google so I'm playing about with the geography a bit.**

"We're leaving Bridgwater now." Naomi felt her unease growing as she watched the limits of the town fly by as they carried on down the A39, heading towards the coast.  
"He only said it was near there." Katie pointed out, ever the optimist, but even she was beginning to look nervous as she sat on the other side of the van, holding Effy's hand in hers. Effy just looked bored as usual. Naomi shook her head as she turned around to face the two of them and sat with her back against the door. The combat pants she was wearing were covered in dust from kneeling on the floor of the van and she dusted them down before pulling her gun out and checking the magazine was full. She had a couple of spare magazines tucked in the pocket on her left leg and her knife holster strapped to her right. She was prepared for whatever was coming when the van finally stopped. She turned back around to the peep hole in the door and waited for Michael to lead them wherever he was taking them.

She didn't have long to wait. The towns and buildings quickly faded out and were replaced by vast fields and dense forest. "Holy shit!" Naomi's hand shot to her side as she heard Cook up front. Effy pulled her gun out of her waistband, suddenly looking a lot more awake, like a sleeping lion that had just had its tail stood on.  
"What is it?"  
"This place…fuck me, wait till you see it!" Cook sounded more excited than concerned as the van lurched to a stop. Naomi slowly opened the door, her right hand never leaving her holster. She squinted as the low lying sun hit her face. The clouds overhead were thick and full, threatening an early afternoon rain that would cost them a good few hours of daylight.

She dropped down from the back of the van, her boots flattening the grass below her feet. They'd been travelling down a dirt road for a good twenty minutes and had pulled up in a clearing at the end of a gravel driveway that led all the way up to an impressive looking building. It was an old red brick house that was three storeys tall and looked to be a good couple of hundred years old. There were modern additions to it though, a large glass conservatory on the side of it, a standalone car port to the left and solar panels on the roof. In the distance to the left there were stables, a pig pen, chicken coop and fields as far as the eye could see. To the right there was a fresh water stream that seemed to run around the back of the house.

"Welcome to Henham hall!" Michael grinned as he stepped out of his truck and walked over to the van where the five teens were standing gawking.  
"What is this place?" Naomi quizzed, her suspicions still not quelled just because he had taken them somewhere that actually looked like a settlement. There was a six foot chain link fence that stretched as far as they could see on both sides. The gate in front of them was manned by two armed men with heavy duty looking M-16 rifles. They looked warily at Naomi with her hand on the holster at her hip. Michael ordered them to open the gate and they complied without objection.

As Michael strode through the gate he took on the role of eager tour guide, selling the house like the teens were prospective buyers. "This was originally a stately home, built in the eighteenth century. It was used as an internment camp for POWs in the Second World War and later was sold to a wealthy American who was something of a conspiracy nut. He took the house completely off the grid. It runs off a generator that is fuelled by the solar panels on the roof and the wind turbines in the higher fields. There's a filtering system in place for the water from the stream and we grow all of our food off the land. We still have hot running water, electricity… In a nutshell, we're a completely self-sufficient society." Michael led them up the gravel path towards the main house.

"Impressive." Cook whistled as they passed a young blonde woman who was planting flower beds. She looked up from her work and shot him a coy smile. Naomi wasn't so easily distracted though, or impressed. She was sceptical about Michael's claims. The man was pretty much admitting to a group of strangers that they were standing in a utopia. If Naomi had a place like they did, she wouldn't want anyone coming within a hundred miles of it.

As if reading her mind Michael stopped at the front door and was met by another two armed men. "I'm afraid we don't allow guns in the house. If you hand them over to my friends here we'll make sure their stored safely. I really must insist." The old man smiled at them, his expression sincere. "Please?"

Katie was the first one to pull out her pistol and hand it over to one of the men. With a heavy sigh Effy followed suit and handed hers over as well. Freddie copied the girls and it was just Cook and Naomi holding on to their weapons. "What you thinking?" Cook turned to Naomi like Michael and the armed strangers weren't standing in front of them. He trusted his friend's judgement, and Naomi knew he wasn't about to hand his gun over if she wasn't. She looked between Cook and Katie before she undid her holster and let it dangle from her hand until Michael took it from her.  
"My thanks." His smile never wavered as he took it from her and Cook handed his weapon over too. "And the knife." He nodded to the holster on her leg.  
"Not a gun." Naomi pointed out in a tone that told him she wasn't about to part with it. His smile became a little more forced but he nodded and carried on walking towards the front door. Naomi shot Cook a pointed look behind Michael's back, she wasn't the only one who carried a backup weapon, but Cook and Effy chose to hide theirs.

Michael led them inside the house and they were met with a grand marble staircase. The house looked like it hadn't been redecorated since it was built, but it was in immaculate condition. A middle-aged woman was mopping the floor and looked nervous as she caught sight of the group of teenagers, particularly Katie. Michael greeted her and she turned her attention back to the floor. "There are thirty four of us here at Henham, and everyone has a job. I fish and trade some of what I catch at the post, Maria there is one of the housekeepers, and we have perimeter guards, farmers, all sorts really-"

"And who runs it all?" Naomi snapped, still feeling uneasy at being in the middle of nowhere without a gun or a plan. She still felt like she was walking headfirst in to a trap.  
"We're a democracy here Naomi, a family-"  
"Even democracies have leaders. So who's yours?"  
"I guess that would be me." Naomi and the others looked up to the top of the stairs and found themselves staring at a middle aged Asian man in a pristine suit. His dark hair was peppered with grey at the sides and he held his head up high as he descended the stairs. "My name is Oliver Minhas, I acquired Henham hall last year. After the outbreak of the virus I opened my gates to the survivors, offering food and lodging in exchange for help to work the lands and keep the power going… And you are?"

"Looking for my sister!" Katie interrupted before Naomi could get a word in edgeways. She was picking up a bad feeling about Minhas. As charming as the man was trying to be there was something off about him. He turned his attention to Katie and for a moment his calm façade slipped, his eyes widened and his nostrils flared. He composed himself before the others noticed, but Naomi wasn't fooled. After years of sharing her home with strangers she was used to reading people pretty quickly and it was hard for her to shake her first impressions of people.  
"You must be Katie." His eyes softened as he turned his attention to the oldest twin. "Forgive my crass, but Emily said you were dead?"  
"I thought she was too…that's why I left-"  
"Katie." Naomi snapped, cutting her off before she could say too much. They still didn't know anything about the settlers at Henham, or if Emily had really been with them voluntarily.

"Please." Minhas held his hands up in front of him. "I understand that in these harsh times it's hard to trust anyone, but I can assure you Emily was more than just a settler here, she was like family. She and my daughter were…close."  
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Katie rolled her eyes but there was a hint of a smile on her lips.  
"What happened to her?" Naomi wasn't entirely ready to buy what they were trying to sell her, but she'd made a promise to Katie and the only lead they had was the sharply dressed man in front of them. She would play nice while she had to.

She didn't miss the subtle shift in Minhas' gaze as he looked at Michael before answering. "Emily was out on a foraging trip, the car she was travelling in was attacked and she was taken. The rest of our people, all men, were shot. One survived long enough to tell us what had happened. We don't know what's become of Emily, but we've never stopped looking. As I said, she was like family-"  
"Yeah? Well she_ is _my family!" Katie snapped and Naomi could tell she was getting anxious. She'd pinned her hopes on these people leading her to her sister and they were still no closer to finding her. If Minhas was telling the truth then for all they knew Emily was already dead. "We're wasting time here! We should be out looking for Emily!"

"Please, we have some leads on the people who took her. I'm expecting a scouting party back later tonight. You're all welcome to stay the night. We have the room…in fact we're always looking for new members of our community-"  
"We have our own family." Naomi answered, knowing she was speaking for the rest of them. Minhas' eyes narrowed on the young blonde for a moment but he quickly recovered.  
"I understand. At least stay the night, my people should be back by the evening meal. They're following up a lead that Emily's alive and being held in Exmoor Park. If they come back and confirm it, then I'll send a rescue party _tonight."  
_  
"Then I'm staying." Katie piped up before Naomi could suggest going back to the farm and returning in the morning. She knew she had no hope of talking her out of staying, but she couldn't help but feel that Minhas was trying too hard to get them to stay, dangling too much temptation in Katie's way.  
"Fine." She nodded towards Katie. "Then I'm staying with you. Cook, you drive Effy and Freds back home with the supplies."  
"But-" Cook started, he looked as uncomfortable with Minhas as she was, but she cut him off with a glare.  
"We have a _lot_of hungry people back home. I'll stay here with Katie tonight and you can come back and pick us up first thing."

"Cook and Freddie can go back alone, I'm staying with Katie." Effy took hold of the smaller girl's hand and shot Naomi a glare that dared her to say otherwise. Naomi forced a smile on to her face as she slapped Cook on the arm.  
"That's settled then. We're having a girl's night out and you boys can come back for us in the morning. Mr Minhas, did Emily have a room here? Could Katie maybe see her things? And I'll walk Cook and Freddie back to the van."  
"Actually Emily shared a room with my daughter. I'm sure she'll be overjoyed to meet Katie, just let me find her and she'll show you Emily's things."

Effy and Katie went off with Minhas to find his daughter while Michael escorted Naomi, Freddie and Cook back to the van. Naomi had been hoping to speak to Cook alone, but with Michael hovering over them by the gates she only had one way to get a message to him. "I'll miss you baby." Cook frowned as she placed her hands on his chest. He was about to ask what she was talking about when she grabbed his T-shirt and pulled him forward, crushing their lips together. His eyes widened but James Cook had been trying to get in to his best friend's pants for years and instead of questioning it he kissed back.

Naomi pulled away and let her lips hover by his ear as Cook's arms slipped around her waist. "I don't trust them. Drive a mile in to the woods, camp out tonight, I've got my radio on me, if you don't hear from me by midnight then come get us."  
"Love you too princess!" Cook's smile was far too cheesy as he stole another quick kiss from the blonde. Naomi resisted her natural urge to slap him and turned to follow Michael back in to Henham hall. She wanted to get straight back to Katie and Effy; something in her gut was telling her that Minhas wasn't being entirely honest with them.

Michael led her to a large library overlooking the river. The others were there along with Minhas and a young woman who was clearly his daughter. They shared the same olive skin and jet black hair and his daughter set off the same alarm bells in Naomi's head. She didn't have time to dwell on the daughter though as Katie held up a blue chequered shirt to her face. "This is Emily's favourite shirt." Her voice came out choked. It still had Emily's scent faintly clinging to the material. As well as the shirt there were a few other items of clothing, a couple of books and a handful of photographs on the table in front of her. Naomi picked one up and stared down at the happy smiling faces of the Fitch family. "That was from last Christmas." Katie's eyes were wide and watery as she took the picture from Naomi's hand. She sat in one of the high-back leather chairs, staring silently at the photograph of her family. Effy leant over and pressed her lips to Katie's cheek before wrapping a protective arm around her.

"Didn't she have anything else?" Naomi quizzed. There wasn't much there considering Emily had supposedly been living with them for months.  
"Emily had a lot of her things with her, she'd been on a long foraging mission…I promise you Katie; we are doing all we can to find Emily and bring her back to us. Isn't that right Mandy?" Minhas turned to his daughter and placed a hand on her shoulder. The dark haired young woman nodded, her eyes glued to Katie.  
"I hope so."  
"Right then, we'll get you three settled in one of the guest rooms upstairs. Dinner won't be too long and the scouting party should be back by then."

"Something's off about all this." Effy finally spoke up after they'd been escorted upstairs and Minhas closed the door behind him. "If Emily was really kidnapped then it's a bit convenient she was taken with most of her stuff."  
"Any bet there's some guard outside that door." Naomi sighed as she went to the window to check how high up they were. They were on the third floor and the ground was a long way down, so that escape route was out. "They've never left us alone since we got here. Maybe they're worried what we'll hear about Emily?" Naomi sat on the windowsill with her foot braced against the wall and took out her radio, hoping to get a good reception. "Cook? Come in Cook." She took her finger off the button and was just met with static. The two way radios had a range of about five miles, but she'd told him to drive a mile away just to be safe. If they'd been followed then Cook might have had to drive further, maybe even as far as the motorway. He knew to be back in range by midnight though. They'd wait until Minhas' scouting party came back with news of Emily and then take it from there.

"What do you think Katie?" Effy finally asked the twin what she thought about Henham Hall. The smaller girl sat on one of the two beds in the room, curled up and quietly contemplating what was going on.  
"Hmm?" She looked up, her expression vacant, like she'd been a million miles away. She held the photograph of her family in her hands. Effy took a seat behind her and wrapped her arms around the other girl, gently pulling her back to lie against her.  
"Do you really think Emily was with these people?"  
"I don't know." Katie sighed as she shifted to turn around and bury her face in the crook of Effy's neck. "Maybe… She's not here now though, is she? We're still no closer to actually finding her."  
"We will." Effy reassured her as she ran a soothing hand through her hair. "What the hell are you doing?" She frowned as Naomi pushed the window up and practically hung out of it, looking to her left and then her right.

"The room next door has a balcony. I'm pretty sure I can get to it. If the door's not locked then maybe I can have a look about for some clues or something?" Naomi felt restless copped up in the room, and though it was already dark it would be hours before the evening meal, she couldn't just sit doing nothing.  
"Clues? Ok Scooby Doo, and what if they catch you?"  
"Then we'll know if they're the bad guys, won't we?" Naomi shot back with a smirk as she stuck her leg out of the window. Her foot probed for the thin ledge below and once she found it she lowered the other leg out. She pulled the radio out of her pocket and tossed it on to the closest bed. "Keep trying to get through to Cook."

The ledge was literally only a few inches thick and she clung to the window frame for as long as she could as she shuffled along it. Katie and Effy stood at the window, watching with baited breath as she slowly made her way towards the metal railings of the balcony next door.  
"Careful!" Katie hissed as Naomi reached for the railing and her fingers slipped. She had to lurch forward and grab the railing with both hands before she slipped. She scurried over the railing and slumped to the ground, trying to catch her breath. "You ok?" Katie called out, concern etched over her young face.  
"Fine." Naomi breathed and forced herself back to her feet. She dusted her combats off and checked everything was still securely in her pockets before she smiled at Katie, trying to reassure her. "Give me an hour, yeah?"

Turning her back on the other two girls she turned her attention to the French doors that led in to the room and was glad to find them unlocked. The room looked empty, which admittedly wasn't something she had really thought about before climbing out of the window of the other room. She slipped inside and closed the door behind her. The room was larger than the one next door, but rather than two single beds there was a single queen size bed in the middle of the room. The room was elegantly decorated in red and gold with silk bed sheets and expensive looking solid mahogany furniture. It was clearly the bedroom of a teenage girl though with clothes scattered all over and photographs pinned to the wall above the mirror by the dresser. One in particular caught her eye. It was the type that came from an instant Polaroid camera and it was of Minhas' daughter Mandy, her arm wrapped around a grinning redhead. Emily. So they had been telling the truth about Emily living with them; but were they being honest about her disappearance?

"Don't move!" A voice growled over Naomi's shoulder and the blonde's hand instantly went to her side, only to remember her pistol was gone. She still had her knife strapped to her leg, but she couldn't risk going for it if whoever was behind her were armed. She had no idea who was behind her, but the gruff voice definitely didn't belong to Mandy, so whoever it was didn't belong in the room either. She turned slowly around to face them and found herself facing the jagged barrel of a sawn off shotgun. The man holding the gun on her was wearing a balaclava, so it was safe to assume he didn't belong at Henham Hall anymore than she did. She slowly held her hands up, not wanting to spook the man.  
"Easy mate, I-"  
"Shut up!" He growled again and shoved the gun against her stomach. Naomi's eyes were warily glued to the trigger. If his finger slipped and the gun went off at that close a range her torso would be ripped to shreds. "So you must be her new bitch then. Turn around. TURN AROUND! He screamed as Naomi stood her ground and shoved the shotgun harder against her stomach. Naomi grunted from the pain and slowly did as she was told.

She heard the soft tell-tale clank of the shotgun being placed on the dressing table and knew it was her only chance. As her assailant bent down to remove her knife from its ankle holster she kicked her leg backwards, her heavy duty boots catching him in the face. He screamed in agony as his nose popped and blood started pouring from it. While he recoiled and held his bleeding nose Naomi dived for the shotgun. The man recovered quickly though and she found his own booted foot connecting with her stomach before her scrambling fingers could reach the shotgun. She doubled over with the pain and fell to her knees, winded and fresh out of luck. The man grabbed the shotgun and brought it crashing down against the side of her head. The last thing she saw before blacking out was the barrel being shoved in her face.

"I don't like this." Effy shook her head as she leant out of the window, staring at the balcony next door and waiting for any sign of Naomi. She'd been gone over for well over an hour and both girls were starting to get nervous. She picked up the radio and tried to get through to Cook again. "Cook? Cook, where the fuck are you?"  
"Right here my lovely." Cook finally replied and Effy let out the breath she'd been holding. "They followed us halfway back to fucking Super-Mare! We're about a mile and a half out down by the river. Where's Blondie?"  
"She ran off playing Nancy Drew an hour ago. I'm starting to worry Cook. Something's going on here- Shit!" She switched the radio off and pocketed it as the door to the room they were being held in started to open.

Minhas appeared beside two men armed with the same MK-15s that they'd seen at the front gates. Minhas looked dishevelled. His top button was open and his tie hung loose around his neck. "There's been a break in. We believe it was the same people who took Emily; they must have followed the scouting party back. It seems they intended to take my daughter. It seems convenient that this happens on the same day you three turn up, except now there are only two of you." Minhas glared at them, all traces of friendliness gone.  
"Naomi heard something next door; she went to check it out. That was an hour ago." Katie was only half lying as she stepped up to face Minhas. "Why would we have anything to do with the people who took my sister? If I knew where Emily was I wouldn't be wasting my time here!" Minhas' expression remained stoic as he stared at the defiant little girl standing up to him. Eventually his features softened and he nodded.  
"That explains it then. My daughter's room is next door. We found blood on the floor…I'm sorry, but I think your friend has been taken too, or possibly worse. My men are searching the grounds and the woods and we managed to capture one of them. I must ask the two of you to stay in here until we sort this mess out. I'll keep you informed, if your friend is still alive, we'll find her." Minhas turned and strode out of the room before either girl could question him.

The second the door shut Katie slumped on to the bed and tucked her head between her knees as she struggled to fight off a panic attack. Emily was gone and Naomi was missing. Minhas hadn't mentioned how much blood they had found and whether it was fatal or not, but surely if she'd been shot in the next room then they would have heard it? Effy took a seat beside her and rubbed her back, trying to quietly comfort her. She had known Naomi for longer and was just as worried about her, but she had to be strong for them both. Pulling out the radio she turned it back on and told Cook everything that had happened. The radio crackled with static as she took her finger off the button and waited for his reply.  
"Mother fucker!"


	8. Chapter 8

The first thing Naomi was aware of as she began to come around was the dull ache in the back of her skull from where her attacker had slammed the butt of his pistol down on her head. The second was the steady hum of the engine below her. She was lying on some sort of heavy itchy blanket, curled up on her side with her hands bound behind her back. She was clearly in the back of some sort of van and through the haze of darkness she could make out someone's boot in front of her face. Someone was sitting right in front of her. She closed her eyes back over, hoping they weren't aware she had woken up. She was pressed right up against the side of the van so she knew no one was behind her. She lay still and silent, trying to assess what was going on. She was still alive, so that was something. Whoever had taken her obviously had a plan for her; of course that was little comfort to the blonde who knew there were worse things in life than death.

She tugged at her wrists, testing whatever was binding them together. To her amazement it felt like cloth. She didn't want to risk moving too much, but with the darkness in the van and her hands hidden behind her back she could afford to wriggle her wrists a little as she tried to figure out what was keeping them together. Her fingers brushed against something cold and metal and as she traced its outline she realised it was a belt buckle. A glimmer of hope shot through her as she stretched her fingers to the edge of the buckle and found a small tear in the fabric. Her attacker had tied her up with her own belt. Had she not been trying to feign being unconscious she would have smiled at the man's stupidity. The belt was an old one and the tear went almost halfway through the belt. With enough force she could tear it all the way through and get her hands free.

The problem was that if she moved too much then whoever was sitting in front of her would notice. Then there was the fact that she was in a moving van in the middle of god knows where. Even if she could get her hands free, and then subdue the possibly armed man, she would be faced with either jumping from the van or risk waiting until it stopped. Getting her hands free would be the easy thing, deciding how to use them to her advantage would be trickier. First things first though she had to snap the belt. She pulled her wrists as far apart as the fabric of the belt would allow and kept pulling, trying to force the tear to split. The belt dug painfully in to her skin, biting at the flesh of her wrists. Taking a risk she cracked one eye open to check on her guard. His boots hadn't moved from in front of her face and he made no acknowledgement that he knew she was awake.

She pulled even harder on the belt and finally felt the fabric give way. The noise of the engine masked the sound of the material ripping and it only took a few more tugs to rip it all the way through. Naomi felt the pressure on her wrists instantly give way and her fingers scrabbled to catch the torn buckle before it hit the van and gave her away. Keeping as still as she could she manoeuvred the belt around her hands so that it would appear to still be tied. She hadn't decided what to do so there was no point in risking the man noticing her bonds were loose.

She couldn't see whether the man was armed without lifting her head and that would give away any element of surprise she would have. There could even be others out of her line of sight. Trying to ambush the man might prove too risky, but waiting for the van to stop wherever they were going and then trying to run could prove to be just as risky. Either option could end with a bullet in her back. With her head still pounding she lay on the floor, weighing up her options. She was certain the man who had attacked her in Mandy's room wasn't one of Minhas' men. She was just as certain that he could have killed her while she lay unconscious, so there was a chance that whoever had taken her wouldn't kill her if she tried to escape; though there was also a chance they would cut their losses if she was too much hassle.

All too soon Naomi's decision was taken from her as the van lurched to a stop. She lay still on the floor, bracing herself for when the door opened. She had no idea how long she had been out for or how far they had driven from Henham Hall. They could be in Scotland for all she knew. She heard two doors slam up front and footsteps approaching the back of the van. That meant there were at least three people for her to worry about. The side door of the van slid open behind her and it took every inch of willpower she had to supress her natural instinct of fight or flight. "She still out?" A gruff voice sounded from outside the van, it belonged to the man who had attacked her at Henham.  
"Yeah, you must have hit her pretty hard mate, haven't heard a peep out of her!" The voice from inside the van sounded like it belonged to young man and Naomi regretted not taking her chance to ambush him while the van had still been moving.  
"Little fucker tried to stab me!" The gruff voice of her attacker sounded close to her ear as he leant forward and scooped Naomi up, tossing her over his shoulder without noticing her hands holding the belt in place.  
"Oh, did the little girl try and stab you?" Naomi heard the voice of the third person, another man, mocking the one who had slung her over his shoulder. She didn't like the odds of what three men wanted with a teenage girl.

Her choices were few and her chances were slim, but she had to do something quick as the man carrying her started walking. She cracked her eyes open and was met with more darkness. It was still night time and they were stood in a clearing in the woods, there were trees everywhere. They were deep in the woods somewhere and no one was behind her, which meant the other two men were up front somewhere. If she could take out the one carrying her she had a good chance of outrunning them in the woods. Her dark clothing, sturdy boots and slim frame were perfect for navigating the trees and finding a hiding place.

Taking a breath she tensed her body, ready to spring in to action. Her boots were steel toe capped and with her legs hanging precariously in front of the man's groin she knew it wouldn't take much to incapacitate him. In one quick motion she swung her leg back and delivered a powerful blow to the man's privates with the toe of her boot. The man was midstride and as Naomi's foot connected with its target he let out a scream of pain and his knees buckled. Naomi landed harshly on the ground as the man dropped and the second blow to her head sent the world around her spinning on its axis. Nausea washed over her and for a moment she was stunned. Then the man's shouts and the sight of his friends running towards them kicked her in to action. She scrambled to her feet and pushed aside the overwhelming dizziness as she darted towards the trees.

Her boots pounded against the forest floor, loose stones and dense undergrowth threatening to trip her as she raced towards the cover of the trees. Her lungs screamed for air and the muscles in her leg began to cramp as she manoeuvred the uneven terrain as fast as she could. The other two men were hot on her heels and despite her better judgement she risked a glance behind her. Their guns were still tucked in their belts, but she wasn't sure how long their patience would last as her lead on them started to increase.  
"Stop her!" The older man chasing her shouted and Naomi realised too late he wasn't shouting to the younger man in front of him. Her head snapped back around just as someone tackled her head on, crashing in to her chest and sending her sprawling to the ground. She landed on her back and felt the wind being knocked out of her as her assailant landed on top of her. Her head slammed off the ground much harder than before and for a moment she thought she was going to pass out as her eyes closed of their own accord. She heard the other men growing closer as bile rose up in her throat and knew it would be seconds before they were on her.

She snapped her eyes open at the same time as she clenched her fists and went to swing for her assailant. Her fist was easily caught though and her arm went slamming down to the ground as a pistol was shoved in her face. Naomi lay on her back, struggling to stay conscious and staring down the barrel of a .9mm. The fight left her body as she stared up at her attacker and the other men closed in on her, including the man clutching his swollen crotch. "Nice one." He wheezed at the teenager sitting on Naomi's chest.  
"Fuck." Naomi sighed, panting for breath and fighting back the need to puke. Her eyes could barely focus on the redhead straddling her and her blood was roaring too loudly for her to hear the thick husk of the girl's breathless voice.  
"What the fuck's going on?"

She got to her feet as one of the men from the van dropped to his knees and roughly shoved Naomi over so she was lying face first on the grass. He wrenched her arms behind her and snapped at the young woman who had brought her down. "Give is your belt kiddo." The man had a thick northern accent and sounded as out of breath as Naomi felt. Naomi felt a thick leather belt wrap around her wrists and bind them together tightly.  
"What's going on Frank?" The young black man standing beside the girl asked as the northerner yanked Naomi to her feet. Naomi caught sight of him and then her eyes finally focused on the girl beside him. Her small frame and long red hair were a familiar sight and Naomi was even accustomed to the scowl she was wearing. She was staring at Emily Fitch.

"Jed sent us to Henham to steal supplies. Tony here decided to be a big shot and try kidnapping Minhas' daughter for a bigger pay off." He jerked his thumb towards the man who Naomi had kicked as he firmly gripped Naomi's bound arms and started marching her back the way they'd come.  
"That's not Mandy." Emily's eyes narrowed on the blonde, though even in her scrambled state Naomi didn't miss the way the other girl's gaze lingered over her. The boy standing beside her, Thomas, was scowling.  
"No shit." Tony wheezed, still clutching his manhood. "She was in her room. Figured she was her new bitch and she was better than nothing-" The man groaned as Emily delivered a sharp knee to his crotch. He once again dropped to the floor, tears welling up in his eyes as the fiery Fitch stood over him.  
"Call me a bitch again Tony!"

"Easy Emily. You know what he's like, just ignore him." Frank snapped whilst keeping his grip on Naomi's arm. As the oldest of the group he seemed to have the most authority and Emily allowed Thomas to take her hand and pull her away from the man sobbing on the ground. "He might be on to something this time, if she is with Minhas' daughter he might pay big to get her back." Emily looked uneasy, though whether it was because she thought Naomi was with Mandy or because of the bounty on her own head, Naomi couldn't be sure.  
"I'm not with Mandy! I'm not with any of them!" She finally found her voice and tried to convince her captors that they'd got it all wrong.

"Shut it!" Frank shoved her and the blonde lost her balance. She fell forward, landing roughly on her knees.  
"Frank!" Emily snapped as she stepped forward and helped Naomi back to her feet by grabbing her bound hands and dragging her up. She took over from Frank and held on to her arm as they carried on marching through the woods.  
"Please, my name is Naomi Campbell-"  
"Of course it is bitch! And I'm Prince Phillip!" The man she had kicked roared with laughter as he caught up to them and mocked the blonde's name. Naomi wasn't going to argue with them, she fell silent and kept her jaw clenched as they marched deeper in to the woods. After ten minutes they came out in another larger clearing and were met with the sight of a group of wooden cabins. It looked like it had been some sort of woodland activity centre before the virus had struck, but the survivors that had settled there had obviously made it in to a home.

It was late and while a few cabins showed signs of life with candle light seeping out of the windows, most were dark and still. "Thomas, you and Emily have a spare bunk in your cabin don't you? Keep her there tonight. We'll see what Jed wants done with her in the morning." Naomi felt a flood of relief at the prospect of getting away from the men who had brought her to the camp. She fancied her chances of survival a lot better with Emily and Thomas. "Thomas, there's some handcuffs in the armoury. Make sure she's tied up at all times!" Frank's eyes narrowed on Emily as he spoke. Thomas followed the older man to a stone building that was obviously the armoury while Emily led Naomi to one of the cabins closest to the woods.

Inside the cabin was pretty basic. There were three single metal bed frames, two on the back wall and one on the opposite side of the room. There were small pine bedside tables beside each bed with candles sitting on them. In the other corner of the room stood a matching pine wardrobe with its door hanging open and a mixture of Emily and Thomas' clothes strewn all around it. "Homely." Naomi commented dryly as Emily closed the door behind her and lit the few candles littered around the room. Emily glared at her as she pocketed her lighter and shoved the blonde down on to one of the bunks against the far wall. She really needed to learn to keep her mouth shut. She decided to try a different tact since they were alone.  
"My name really is Naomi. Yours is Emily isn't it? I'm friends with your sister Ka-"  
"Don't!" Emily snapped, cutting her off before she could get Katie's name out. "Don't you dare say her name! You never knew my sister, and whatever bullshit game you're trying to play, it ends here!"  
"Emily-"  
"Shut the fuck up!"

Emily snapped at her again and it was clear to see Katie's fiery attitude was hereditary. Naomi took her advice and fell silent, not wanting to irritate the armed girl any further. She sat quietly on the bed, trying to figure out the best way to break the news that Emily's twin was alive without getting a bullet for her troubles; she was also testing the strength of the belt binding her wrists together but the leather proved to be much tougher than her own belt. When Thomas walked through the door he was carrying a pair of chain link steel handcuffs and any chance of escape went out of the window. He walked over to her and asked her to stand up. "Turn around, please." Naomi stood up and did as she was told. Thomas's fingers worked on undoing the knot in the belt and for a moment her hands were free. Her body tensed as she considered trying to overpower Thomas, but the guy had a pretty strong build and he seemed to sense what she was thinking. "Please do not struggle." She felt one of the cold cuffs snap around her left wrist. "Please sit." Like a robot Naomi did as she was asked and took a seat on the bed. Thomas attached the other cuff to the part of the metal frame that made up the headboard.

He reached in to the bedside cabinet between Naomi's bunk and the one Emily was sitting on and pulled out a bottle of water. He handed it to Naomi with a wide smile and offered his hand once she took the water. "I am Thomas. So nice to meet you."  
"Naomi." She shook his hand warily, not sure what to make of the gentle giant. On the bunk beside her Emily shifted and pulled her gun out of her belt. She checked the safety was on before she tucked it under her pillow. She caught Naomi looking at her and glared. The pair had definitely gotten off on the wrong foot. Naomi thought she knew why.  
"I'm not with Mandy. I only just met her today."  
"Lucky you." Emily replied dryly as she pulled her jumper over her head and tossed it with the rest of the clothes scattered by the wardrobe.

"My friends and I live on a farm in Bristol…they'll be worried about me."  
"I don't care." Emily sighed. She stood up to slip out of her jeans and Naomi found her eyes lingering on the creamy flesh of her thighs. Thomas, who was on the other side of the room rummaging through the clothes on the floor for something to wear to bed, seemed oblivious of the half-naked girl in the room. Sharing a cabin with Emily he was obviously used to the sight. Considering she shared a room with Katie Naomi should probably have been used to the sight of a near naked girl too, but she had to admit Emily was a nice distraction. As attractive as Katie was it had been a long time since Naomi had looked at her like she was looking at Emily. Katie was practically the blonde's sister after all.

Emily pulled on some sweatpants and a thick hoody for bed. Thomas was wearing at least three layers and sat huddled under his duvet. Naomi was starting to feel the cold herself and slipped under the duvet, the handcuff clanking noisily off the metal bedframe. The blanket was thick and itchy but it would at least shield her from the plummeting temperatures outside. At home on the farm, when the nights were long and cold, she would often wake up to find Katie curled up in bed beside her. As she pulled the blanket up to her chin she hoped Effy was looking after the oldest twin, and that they were safe at home, not still looking for her at Henham. She knew what Katie was like, given half a chance she'd be tearing the place apart trying to find the blonde. Emily, however, seemed completely different to what Naomi had expected. The twin Katie had described had seemed passionate about what was right and wrong, yet the girl lying across from her could care less that her group had kidnapped an innocent girl.

"So what happens when Minhas won't pay up?" She watched as Emily's jaw tightened. She was reading a book by candlelight and Naomi's question had clearly distracted her as she put it down on the bed beside her. She bit her lip as she answered, unable to turn and look Naomi in the eye.  
"It's up to Jed. He runs things."  
"Really? So he's the one I should tell about the ransom on your head?" Naomi had no intention of ratting on Emily, as bitchy as she was being it was understandable after everything she'd been through. The blonde was simply testing the waters, it was obvious Emily wasn't a prisoner like Minhas had claimed, but Naomi wasn't sure what was going on. Emily's reaction told her everything though. In the blink of an eye the redhead was standing over her with her gun in her hand and a desperate look in her eye. "You're terrified of them, aren't you?"

"Emily!" Thomas sprang to his feet, but Emily had already tossed the gun back on to her bed, where the magazine clip was still lying under her pillow. She slumped on to the bed and held her head in her hands as she counted to ten under her breath, trying to calm herself down.  
"You don't know what kind of people you've got involved with…If Minhas gets me back…"  
"I don't know what's going on, but I don't think you're any safer here than you were at Henham Hall. If they find out about you they'll turn you in in a heartbeat won't they?" Emily looked pale and sickly and Naomi thought she was getting through to her. She was about to mention Katie when Thomas stepped in.  
"It is ok." Thomas took a seat beside Emily and put an arm around her shoulder. "That will not happen." He shot a meaningful look at the blonde as he comforted the youngest twin.

Naomi had never been very good at keeping her mouth shut and instead of staying silent she pushed on, trying to bring Emily around. "I'm on your side Emily. Trust me."  
"Trust you?" Her big brown eyes narrowed on the blonde as she shrugged off Thomas' arm. "I don't even know you! You just happen to get taken in Mandy's room? By Tony? That man couldn't catch a cold! Did Mandy send you here? To try and trick me back to Henham-"  
"Emily, please, I know your sister. Katie. She's alive and she's looking for you-"

Emily abruptly cut her off with a slap to the face. Naomi held her red raw cheek with her free hand, stunned in to silence. "That's the best you've got? Katie's alive and waiting for me? Pathetic." She rolled her eyes and climbed back in to her bunk, picking up her book she turned her back on the blonde. Thomas returned to his bunk, warily watching Naomi. Not one to learn her lesson, and bordering on desperation Naomi spoke up again.  
"I'm telling the truth. Your name is Emily Fitch, you lived in Southgate London. Your father died first, then your mother then your brother James. You were sick with a fever and Katie thought you had flu…" Naomi started talking faster as Emily slammed her book down and got to her feet. She picked up a scarf from the bottom of her bed and wrapped it around her hand before advancing on the blonde. "She woke up and thought you were dead, but you were still alive and she knows that now and she's looking for you! That's why we were at Henham! Emily, please you have to-" Naomi's words turned in to muffled shouts as Emily wrapped the scarf tightly around her mouth. Naomi still had one hand free and could have ripped the scarf off, but the angry glare in Emily's eyes made her think twice about doing anything other than staying quiet.

When Emily spoke her husky voice sounded low and threatening. "Katie is dead, and if one more thing about her comes out of your mouth, you will be too." Naomi took the hint and sat quietly on the bunk, contemplating how she could convince Emily she was telling the truth. If she had been with the people at Henham at one point and she had obviously been close to Mandy, then she could have shared a lot about her twin; just as Katie had with Emily. She had to think of something that would prove beyond doubt that Katie was still alive. Not for the first time in six months Naomi missed the days of mobile phones and the internet. Had the old world still existed she could have just phoned Katie, or gone on her _Facebook_page or something; of course if they were still living in the old world Naomi would never have met either twin in the first place. They would still be living with their parents in London and Naomi would be at some protest rally or another with her half-baked mother.

The three of them lay on their bunks in silence. Thomas was the first to fall asleep, buried under a mass of blankets to keep him warm. Naomi started to feel the bitter bite of the night air as she lay on her back staring up at the ceiling. She rolled on to her side, curling in to herself to try and keep warm. The handcuff around her wrist clanked every time she tossed and turned, the sound filling the silent room. Emily let out a heavy sigh as she heard the blonde moving again. Pushing away her own blankets she padded over to the wardrobe and pulled out a rolled up sleeping bag. She tossed it haphazardly over the blonde. Next she unwrapped the scarf from around Naomi's mouth and wrapped part of it around the metal bedframe, stopping the sound of the cuff clanking against it. The other end she threaded through the cuff on Naomi's wrist, padding it slightly to stop the metal from biting in to her already bruised flesh. "Thank you." Naomi whispered. A spark of hope ignited inside her at the small sign that the old Emily still existed. She wasn't the hard-faced bitch she was pretending so hard to be.

Emily didn't say anything back; she just climbed in to bed and cast a wary glance at Thomas, checking to see if he was awake. She lay back down with her head resting on her arms, but stayed facing Naomi instead of rolling over. Without the harsh light of the candles she looked younger than she had earlier. More vulnerable somehow, like the attitude she had been wearing all night was a show for the rest of the world and she had finally let it slip a bit. "Why did you leave Henham?" Naomi took her chance to try and get the other girl to talk.  
"We were out on a foraging trip in the summer, looking for supplies. I'd been at Henham for a few months, it'd been fine, me and Mandy were getting on pretty well and then these two kids ambushed us, and I mean kids, they were like fifteen. They were just hungry; looking for some food…we took them back to Henham and Minhas made a big show of holding a trial, he said it was part of building a new society; except he was judge and jury. He found them guilty and he shot one of them in the head." Naomi felt her blood run cold. She had known her instincts about Minhas had been right. "They were brothers, and I just thought…what if it has been Katie, you know? I tried to save the other one. I undermined him in front of the others, that's why he wants me back at Henham, to make an example out of me. That's why I can't go back. He'll kill me."

"And what do you think these people are going to do to me?" Naomi wasn't as sure about the people Emily was with as she was. "You might not believe me Emily, but I was with your sister at Henham and she and a lot of other people rely on me. I can't die here."  
"Jed wouldn't…" Emily started but faltered, whether she believed Naomi about Katie or not she was obviously starting to have doubts about her own people. Kidnapping wasn't far from murder in the grand scheme of things. "I still don't believe you, but I won't let anyone hurt you, ok? If Minhas doesn't pay then I'll make sure you're set free. Trust me; I don't want our group associating with Henham. They're good people…but Oliver Minhas is offering a lot to get me back. Trust only goes so far these days."  
"Tell me about it." Naomi sighed; she shifted uncomfortably, the cuff on her hand irritating her. "I won't tell them about the reward… and I'm really not Mandy's bitch you know."  
"I don't care Naomi." Despite Emily's snappy toned as she rolled over to sleep the blonde didn't miss the small smile playing on the other girl's lips. Despite the situation she was smirking herself as she pulled the covers up to her chin to get some sleep. It might not have been ideal, but at least she'd finally found Emily Fitch.

Sometime later in the night, when Naomi's arm had gone stiff from sleeping on it she was woken by a hiss in her ear. Her eyes slowly opened and it took a moment to adjust to the darkness. When her eyes focussed she was met with the sight of Thomas looming over her, his expression grim and Naomi's knife holster clutched in his hand. "I am so very sorry Naomi."


	9. Chapter 9

"I think it would be best if the four of you stayed here. My people are tracking the ones who took your friend." Oliver Minhas was full of charm and self-confidence, but nothing he could say to James Cook could convince him to stay at Henham Hall. He had turned up at the gates and demanded to see Effy and Katie. Minhas had been trying to talk him in to staying, but Cook was no pushover. He once again started shouting for the girls at the top of his voice. One of the armed men beside Minhas shifted uncomfortably, his trigger finger growing itchy as the teenager grew louder.

"Nah mate, I think it would be best if _you _fuck off and get my people! We're leaving, right now; we don't need your kind of help finding Naoms. We got _plenty _people back home waiting for us." The armed guard took a step forward but Minhas shook his head, stopping the man in his tracks.  
"Go and fetch the girls. If Mr Cook wants to leave then that's his choice. This isn't a prison." The armed man ran off to do as he was told, leaving Cook with Minhas, Michael and another armed guard. "It really is a shame you're leaving, I think you and your people would do well here."  
"Until we go missing, yeah?" Cook snarled at the man. He was barely holding it together since he'd found out Naomi had gone missing. He blamed himself for letting her stay behind. None of them should have stayed. They should have forced Katie to leave with them. It was all very well chasing after Katie's twin, but not at the cost of losing one of their own. Cook liked Katie, she was a nice kid, but when it came down to it Naomi was his best friend and his priority.

"Cook!" Effy and Katie appeared at the top of the marble staircase accompanied by the guard. Once they were safely by his side he turned his attention back to Minhas, his expression cold and hard as he stared the man down.  
"I find out you had anything to do with Naomi going missing and I'm coming back for you!" It was a promise, not an empty threat. Minhas' expression didn't change in the slightest. He wasn't scared of some punk kid with a big mouth. He had created a new society within the grounds of Henham, a society where he was lord and master. James Cook would get nowhere near him.

Effy dragged him away before anything could kick off and they were followed all the way to the van where Freddie was waiting with the engine running. The three of them climbed in to the back and the second the door slammed shut Freddie put his foot to the accelerator and sped off. "Now what?" Effy was the first to break the silence in the back of the van. Cook sat with his head leaning against the door of the van and his hands covering his face.  
"We find Naomi." He sighed as he finally uncovered his face. It was too dark in the van for the girls to see the tears rolling down his cheeks but they could hear the tremor in his voice. "If it was the same people that took Emily then we know they're in them woods. We head that way and we bust some heads until we find our people!" He knew his plan was overly simplistic, and he fully expected the two girls to argue with him, but they exchanged meaningful glances before Effy spoke for the both of them.  
"We don't even know if they're still alive, or if Emily was really taken. We have no idea who to trust, a handful of guns, barely any ammunition or fuel, and no idea where we're going." Effy stared at him blankly before her lips parted in a smirk. "I suppose it gets us out of working the farm."

"I am so very sorry Naomi." Thomas loomed over her with the knife and Naomi's eyes shot to Emily, sleeping soundly just a few feet away, her gun tucked under her pillow. It wouldn't take much for her to wake up and draw it. Thomas seemed oblivious as he pulled out the key to the handcuffs from one of his many pockets. Naomi opened her mouth to speak but he placed a finger to her lips, silencing her as he unlocked the cuff from around her wrist. He was going to make it look like she had escaped. He hung his head in shame as he pocketed the key. "I am sorry it had to be this way…I could not free you sooner."  
"Was I glad to see you Tommo!" Naomi flung her arms around the teenager and he eagerly returned the embrace. She had hardly believed it when she had seen him standing with Emily. He had shown no sign of acknowledging her, but he had gone to the same college as Naomi before the outbreak of the virus and had lived with them the first few weeks after the outbreak. He had left them to return to the Congo to search for his family, though he clearly hadn't got that far. "What happened to you? What are you doing here?" She kept her voice low for fear of waking Emily up and after strapping her leg holster back to her ankle they silently moved over Thomas' bunk. She was glad to have at least one of her holsters back, she felt naked without them.

"I tried to get on a boat, but the man, he would not take me. He wanted lots of money, which is stupid I think." Thomas shook his head. He was a good man, an honest god fearing son who had come to England to do his best for his family and had ended up living in a rundown flat and going to a second rate college while working part time in a factory with JJ. "I had to wait until Emily was sleeping, she does not trust you."  
"I'm telling the truth Thomas." Naomi reassured him as he moved off his bed and crept over to the wardrobe. It seemed Thomas had been busy while the girls were sleeping. He had loaded two camping rucksacks with supplies, including sleeping bags, water and dried food. Naomi was impressed.

"I know. You are a good person Naomi. These people here, they are not. They tell me to keep you and Emily here tonight, they know about Emily, and they are planning to hand you both over. This is not good. You must go, and take Emily with you."  
"We." The blonde corrected, noticing for the first time that there were only two sleeping bags attached to the rucksacks. "You have to come with us Thomas. We have a farm now, we're stocking up for winter-"  
"No. I must stay, or they will know I have betrayed them. If you hit me, make it look like you have taken Emily back to Henham, they will go there. I will lead them, how do you say, off the scent? Yes?" Naomi couldn't deny he had thought everything through to give her and Emily the best chance to get away. Of course the biggest problem would be convincing Emily. She wasn't likely to just go quietly.

She didn't believe that her twin sister was alive and living with Naomi and her friends, and the blonde couldn't risk trying to win her over before it got light. They would need to utilise the darkness while they could and put as much distance between them and the settler's camp; whether Emily wanted to go or not. Biting her lip Naomi made her decision there and then. "Promise me you'll come to the farm when it's safe? Panda's been missing you." She added the last bit with a coy smile and Thomas ducked his head sheepishly. He and Panda had been quite close in college and the bubbly blonde had been heartbroken when Thomas had decided to go in search of his family. He nodded in agreement as Naomi gave him the detailed directions to get to the farm and the details of the nearby trading posts he could find them at. She wouldn't have trusted anyone else with that kind of information. Once he promised to come find them she turned her attention to Emily.

The youngest twin was still oblivious, sound asleep on the other side of the room. Thomas followed her gaze and his expression grew thoughtful. "She is very wary of strangers, even if I say you are telling the truth, I do not think she will believe me."  
"Then we don't tell her you know me yet." Naomi decided. "If things go wrong and we need a second chance at this, we won't get it if Emily's shouting her mouth off." Thomas agreed with her. Taking a deep breath he took hold of the end of the bed and slammed his head against it. Naomi almost shouted out, but remembered at the last second that it would wake Emily. Thomas had to make it look like he had been overpowered to convince Emily and the rest of their group.

The blow popped his nose and there was blood running down his t-shirt as he sat back up straight. His left eye was shut over and was rapidly swelling up. He brushed Naomi's concern off as he stumbled over towards her bed and lay face down on the mattress. He genuinely looked ready to pass out and he clenched Naomi's hand before she could go over to Emily. "Look after Emily. She is family, yes?" The blonde nodded and squeezed his hand back before repeating where the farm was located. Once she was happy he remembered she silently crept over to Emily's bunk.

She was lying on her front with one hand by her side and the other under her pillow, probably cradling her gun. Naomi eased the pillow up on the side and managed to slip the pistol away from the redhead's hand, luckily her fingers had just been brushing against the barrel, not actually gripping it. The magazine followed and she slipped it in to the gun and checked the safety before she tucked the pistol in to the back of her combats. She missed having her holster by her side, but she didn't even have her belt so she had to put up with the cold gun pressing against the flesh of her back.

She had unfastened the cuffs from the frame of her bunk and she managed to clamp one around Emily's wrist before the younger girl woke up. "What the?" Emily was still groggy and not quite with it as her natural instincts kicked in and she tried to flee. Naomi was sitting on her back though and the wrist that was cuffed was already pulled up behind her back, stopping Emily from going anywhere. Her desperation grew as she caught sight of Thomas lying face down on the bed, though he was only pretending to be knocked out the blood pooling around his face made the blow look worse than it had been and the smaller girl started bucking wildly, trying to dislodge the other girl off her back. Naomi had no choice but to pull out the pistol and press it against her head. She stopped moving instantly and kept her hand on her back as Naomi used her free hand to guide Emily's other hand behind her back to join the already cuffed one. She snapped the second cuff around Emily's other wrist and one she was happy they were secure she climbed off the younger girl and made a show of checking on Thomas by taking his pulse.

The pulse in his neck was strong and his breathing was steady, Naomi was pretty certain he was just faking being unconscious, but the sight of so much blood on her friend's face curdled her stomach. "He's ok." She reassured Emily as the smaller girl warily watched her from the other bed. She had rolled on to her side and was no doubt tugging at the cuffs behind her back, hoping Naomi hadn't secured them properly. Naomi knew the other girl wasn't going anywhere and picked up one of the rucksacks from the other side of the room, it was a considerable weight and the second one wasn't much lighter. Shouldering them both she went back over to the bed and left them by the side of the bunk while she picked up a pair of small hiking boots off the floor that definitely didn't belong to Thomas. She sat Emily up and pushed the boots on to her feet, lacing them up tightly. "Look Emily, I know you don't trust me but I'm doing this for your own good. I swear."

Emily didn't acknowledge her words in any way and stood up robotically as Naomi helped her to her feet and stood behind her. "I'm really sorry." She wrapped the scarf that had previously been around her mouth over Emily's, stopping her from crying out and alerting any guards who were awake. "These people were going to hand you over to Minhas…One day you'll thank me." She picked up the rucksacks again and tucked her gun away before taking hold of the chain of the cuffs. They were the old style with a metal chain linking the cuffs rather than the thick plastic grip that the police used and it was hard to get a good hold on it while carrying the heavy bags; Naomi just prayed Emily wouldn't try anything stupid.

After checking the coast was clear she ushered Emily outside the cabin and was grateful they were so close to the edge of the woods. To Emily's credit she was silent as they made their way out of the clearing and in to the thick trees. Whether she was simply complying or silently formulating an escape plan the blonde wasn't sure, so she kept her guard up anyway. As the terrain grew bumpier and the clusters of trees started getting thicker the two girls found it harder to navigate and keep their balance. After an hour of walking Emily fell down for the third time, her sweatpants doing little to help protect her knees. Naomi dumped the rucksacks and unrolled one of the sleeping bags on the ground before helping Emily on to it. She sat beside her and pulled out one of the bottles of water Thomas had packed for them. Taking a large mouthful herself she gently tugged down the scarf from around Emily's mouth and held the bottle up to her lips. Emily stared at her with disdain, as though she was trying to feed her poison.

"This is the only stop we're making until it's light. I'd have a drink if I were you." She gently coaxed the smaller girl in to drinking and held the bottle up for her while she had a few mouthfuls. Once she'd finished drinking Naomi left the gag off, leaving the scarf hanging around her neck instead. They'd gone at least two miles from the camp so screaming wouldn't have done Emily any good; not that the redhead was making a sound anyway. She sat quietly on the sleeping bag; her head bowed low, completely ignoring the blonde. Naomi rifled through the provisions in the bag and came up with a bar of chocolate. She snapped a square off and offered it to the other girl. Emily turned her nose up at it. "Suit yourself. It's Galaxy, Katie's favourite." She watched as Emily clenched her jaw.

She clearly still thought Naomi was lying about her twin and a guess about what chocolate she had liked wasn't going to change her mind. Naomi carried on talking anyway, trying to fill the heavy silence. "Whenever we go out foraging Effy always has to find her a bar. She's so whipped."  
"Katie's not gay…wasn't gay." Emily corrected herself, though she had finally started speaking. Her gaze was still firmly on her boots in front of her and her voice was tight. "My sister's dead, and I think it's sick that you're trying to pretend she isn't to get me back to Henham."  
"We're not going to Henham. Emily I have you handcuffed and I have the gun, why would I need to lie to you now?" The smaller girl finally raised her head to face the blonde, her expression stone cold as she replied.  
"To give you a chance when I get that gun back and shove it to _your_head."

Naomi didn't doubt that given half a chance Emily would steal the gun back and shove it to her skull. She also didn't doubt the smaller girl would hesitate over pulling the trigger. "We should keep moving." She got back to her feet and pulled Emily up, checking the cuffs again before picking up the bags and urging Emily forward. She had no intention of releasing the smaller girl until Katie was standing in front of her. She didn't fancy her chances of survival otherwise.

She kept Emily walking just as she had said she would and it was only after hours of trekking through the thick undergrowth that they reached the river Exe which Naomi remembered from studying the maps on the drive down to Weston Super-mare earlier that day. It seemed like a life time ago. They followed the river until Emily started ending up on her knees more often than she was on her feet. They had been walking all night and the sun was starting to poke over the horizon. Both girls were exhausted and Naomi was fairly certain they were deep enough in the woods to avoid being stumbled upon by chance. After helping Emily to her feet she walked her over to the flattest area of the ground she could find and sat her down on a log.

She pulled out the tiny two man pop up tent that Thomas had packed for them and was less than impressed with it. It looked like a child's play tent, something meant for a music festival, not camping in the woods. The thick grey clouds overhead were threatening to spill open over them though so she supposed it was better than having no shelter at all. With the pegs secure in the ground she placed the two sleeping bags inside and left the two rucksacks in the limited reception area at the front. The flap would cover them, protecting their provisions from the impending rain. Next she helped Emily manoeuvre in to the tent without falling on her face and followed her in.

They had barely said a word to one another since they'd last stopped for water and the heavy silence in the tent was almost choking the blonde. She offered Emily some more food and water and the smaller girl actually took some from her. With her hands tied behind her back she couldn't feed herself, so Naomi had to feed her. She shuddered when Emily took a bite of the chocolate she was holding and the other girl's lips brushed against her fingers. Emily gave her a curious look when she blushed and dropped her gaze away from the smaller girl.

Naomi couldn't deny her attraction to the redhead. While she had always found Katie attractive the other girl had been like a sister after everything they had shared, but Emily was simply stunning. Even in sweatpants and a baggy jumper with her hair pulled back the other girl stirred something in the pit of Naomi's stomach that she hadn't felt in a long time. "So you're not Mandy's bitch then." Emily broke the silence, though it just twisted Naomi's gut all the more as her husky voice washed over her. She was pretty sure no one's voice was supposed to give her the kind of thoughts she was having about Emily; particularly when the girl she was lusting over was tied up in a tent with her.  
"No." Naomi choked the word out as she sat back on her own sleeping bag and helped herself to a square of chocolate. Emily watched her intently and Naomi felt her cheeks going even redder. So she tried to turn the tables on her. "But you were."

Emily shrugged her shoulders back at her in response, her expression becoming forlorn. "She was the best of a bad situation. My family had all died, I'd been hitchhiking around for weeks and I found Henham Hall. It felt like a place I could settle down, start again…" She trailed of as though her thoughts were a million miles away. Naomi was willing to bet the last of the chocolate that she was thinking about her family; about Katie.  
"You can do that at the farm, with Katie. We've got the place running smoothly, we're almost set for winter-" Emily's soft laughter interrupted her and she stopped to look over at the younger girl as she shook her head at the blonde.  
"You're really trying to sell this Katie's alive bullshit aren't you?"  
"She is." Naomi shrugged back, knowing there was nothing she could say to truly convince the youngest twin. "You'll see for yourself when we get back."  
"Looking forward to it." Emily's tone was dry and full of sarcasm; Naomi knew she still thought she was lying to her.

Ignoring her she climbed in to her sleeping bag and settled down for a few hours of sleep. She watched as Emily struggled to wriggle in to hers and eventually had to unzip it for her and zip it back over her. "It would be easier if you could just cuff my hands in front of me." Emily huffed as Naomi got back in to her sleeping bag.  
"Of course it would, and then you could get the keys to the cuffs out of my bag and shoot me while I'm asleep." Naomi's own voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Good night Emily. Sleep tight." Zipped in the sleeping bag with her hands tied behind her back the redhead didn't have much choice.

Safe in the knowledge that she could finally shut off it didn't take Naomi long to fall asleep. She was utterly exhausted from carrying the two heavy bags and it had been adrenaline alone keeping her going. Wrapped up in the warm sleeping bag it didn't take long before she was flat out. Emily however didn't nod straight off. She lay in the darkness, waiting for the tell tales signs that the blonde was fast asleep. Only when Naomi's breathing became steady did she start wriggling in the sleeping bag, trying to reach the zip. Luckily she was lying on her side facing Naomi and the zip was behind her so she was able to tug it with her hands. After what seemed like an eternity it slipped down far enough for her to be able to pull her legs out of the sleeping bag without too much trouble.

She lay on her front on top of the sleeping bag, catching her breath back and waiting to see if Naomi made any signs of having woken up. When she didn't Emily got to work on the next part of her plan. The old metal chain cuffs were fundamentally flawed in design. The chain was just long enough so that someone small and flexible could bring their arms up over their bum and knees and slip their feet through the gap, resulting in the cuffs ending up in front of Emily. It was an old trick she and Katie had practised as kids whenever they'd been playing with plastic toy cuffs. Though the plastic ones usually snapped, the metal ones however had dug painfully in to the flesh of her wrists, leaving angry purple bruises similar to the ones on Naomi's wrists.

Not waiting to see if she'd woken Naomi up she crawled to the front of the tent and went through the bags as quietly as she could, looking for the key to the cuffs. After going through each bag twice she was still empty handed. Naomi muttered something in her sleep and the redhead almost shot out of her skin. Composing herself she decided to go for the next best thing after the key to the cuffs and then turn her attention to removing her restraints.

The rustling from Emily searching the bags had roused Naomi out of a particularly fitful sleep and forgetting where she was she had mumbled for Katie to go back to sleep. Even as she felt a warm body pressing down on her own her sleepy brain still thought it was Katie. It was only as she the heard the unmistakable sound of a bullet being chambered that she remembered where she was and who she was with. When her eyes snapped open there was a pistol pressed between them and a very pissed off Emily Fitch straddling her waist. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot you right now?" Her voice growled and even in her sleep hazed mind Naomi knew it was wrong that the gruff tone and Emily's thighs pressed against her own was turning her on. She swallowed hard, hoping she knew Katie well enough to know her twin.

Her voice came out dry and hoarse as her eyes stared at the gun. "Because you're not a killer, and deep down you know I'm telling the truth, that Katie's still alive-" She paused as Emily pressed the gun harder against her forehead, less than impressed by the blonde's answer. She had expected her to crumble and reveal that she was in fact working for Mandy and her father, but she was sticking to the same story. "Because when you woke up six months ago Katie was gone. You've never seen her body and you don't know for sure she's dead!" Naomi finally seemed to be getting through to the other girl. She pulled the gun back, her expression torn. She sat back on Naomi's chest and the blonde saw that one of her wrists had been released from the cuffs; she'd obviously fished the key out of the front pocket of Naomi's combat pants. The blonde felt herself blushing again as she thought of Emily's hands in her pants.

With the smaller girl distracted Naomi took her chance and bucked her hips, using her large frame to flip the other girl over on to her back. Emily tried to shove the gun between them put Naomi slammed the hand holding the gun down, the metal cuff still around it nipping in to her skin and forcing her to drop the gun. Naomi tossed it to the other side of the tent, which admittedly wasn't very far away, but it still put it safely out of Emily's grasp. The smaller girl wasn't giving up without a fight though, whether she had been starting to believe Naomi about her twin or not none of that mattered as she fought to get the blonde off her.

She bit at one of Naomi's hands as she managed to take hold of both of Emily's wrists and pin them to the ground. "Fuck!" Naomi cursed and automatically pulled her hand back. Emily shot up, trying to dislodge the blonde from her waist, but somehow in the confusion of the struggle their faces ended up so close that their lips grazed together. Naomi felt like a current of electricity had bolted straight through her, starting at her lips and ending between her legs. Her lips moved of their own accord as she pushed the smaller girl back down and it was suddenly their lips that were doing all the fighting.

Emily kissed her back just as desperately and instead of pushing her away the smaller girl's fists were grabbing Naomi's jacket, pulling her in closer. Naomi became lost in kissing the other girl and was oblivious when Emily suddenly pulled her head back and slammed it forward, crashing her forehead against hers. Naomi cursed again as she rolled on to her back and clutched her aching head. Emily was probably in more pain than the blonde but adrenaline surged her forward and even as the ground in front of her danced around in dizzying circles she was off like a shot and running through the woods as fast as her legs could carry her.

The open cuff dangling from her wrist kept catching on bushes and brambles slowing her down. Naomi, who had recovered from the head-butt, was quickly gaining on her and she couldn't afford for the cuff to get caught and stop her. She fumbled with the key, trying to get it in to the still fastened lock of the cuff on her left hand, while running through the trees. With her attention distracted she began stumbling over rocks and fallen branches and eventually Naomi got close enough to tackle her. They both fell to the ground and rolled in a tangle of limbs, the handcuff key going flying from Emily's hand.

When they came to a stop Emily was lying on top of the blonde and she quickly tried to scramble to her feet. Naomi was too quick for her though and yanked on the handcuffs, pulling her back down. She slapped the open cuff around her right wrist and lay on the ground panting as Emily lay beside her. Neither girl had the energy left to fight so they both lay on their backs trying to catch their breaths. "I can't believe you head-butted me! Where's the key?" Naomi gasped as she lifted her cuffed wrist and let it flop back down to the ground. She had cuffed herself to Emily in a last ditch attempt to stop the other girl from running away, but she didn't plan on staying tied to her.

"I dunno." Emily grumbled, out of breath and short on patience. She'd lost track of the key when Naomi had tackled her, though she supposed it was somewhere nearby on the forest floor. She had no intentions of helping Naomi look for it though when the blonde sat up and started searching the ground around them. Emily's own head was still spinning and with no chance of escape she was happy to continue lying down until the world stopped moving.  
"Fuck, where's it gone?" Naomi was regretting cuffing herself to the youngest twin as she desperately searched the ground for any sign of the key.

The sun was hanging higher in the sky and shining through the trees. Something a few feet ahead of them glistened and Naomi's eyes landed on the key; unfortunately she spotted it at about the same time as an inquisitive magpie that swooped down upon the shiny silver key and snatched it up in its beak, flying off to take it back to its nest. Naomi stared after the bird in silent shock, her brain unable to process what had just happened. Emily was a little quicker though and with a mixture of exhaustion and desperation she started giggling beside her, before long it was full on belly aching laughter as she watched Naomi pout after the stolen key. She lay on her side and tugged at Naomi's shackled wrist to get her attention.  
"Nice one Blondie. What now?"


	10. Chapter 10

"So what now?" Emily repeated her question as she sat on the grass, waiting for the blonde girl handcuffed to her to answer. It was fully light outside and Naomi was scanning the woods for any sign of people approaching. She was confident they were far enough from any roads to avoid being found by the people Emily had been with. She got to her feet, tugging Emily's arm up with her.  
"We go back to the tent, get some sleep and start heading along the river this afternoon. Thomas will probably only just be telling the others now. We're far enough away from any paths that they shouldn't find us."

"I'm not going back to Henham!" Emily yanked her arm back down, pulling Naomi and knocking her off balance. She fell to her knees on the grass and fought the urge to pull her own back to return the favour to the smaller girl.  
"I'm not taking you to Henham!" She snapped as she got back to her feet and made sure they were firmly planted on the ground in case Emily tried to pull her over again. "Look, I'm tired and I'm cranky. Can we just go back to the tent and argue about where we're going after we get some sleep?" The hike through the woods had left the blonde drained and she'd only managed a short nap before Emily's bid for freedom had woken her up.

Emily reluctantly gave in, but handcuffed to the blonde and exhausted herself she didn't have much choice. The pair of them managed to trudge back to the tent, though it took some getting used to as Naomi's long strides were hard for Emily's shorter legs to keep up with. Once they were back in the tent Naomi zipped the door shut behind them and turned her attention to the sleeping bags. "If we zip the two of them together to make one big sleeping bag then it'll be easier to sleep with the cuffs on." It would stop them from having to hang their arms out of their sleeping bags. Emily agreed and after a bit of careful manoeuvring they managed to zip the two together and climb inside. Naomi collapsed on her back, utterly drained and ready for sleep. As she closed her eyes she felt her arm being tugged as Emily moved as far across in the sleeping bag as she could. Suddenly there was a weight on her chest and Naomi's eyes sprang open again as Emily straddled her. Once again Naomi was staring down the barrel of a gun. Emily had retrieved the discarded pistol from the corner of the tent.

"What the fuck do you intend to do with that? Shoot me and drag my corpse all the way back to your camp?" The blonde twisted her face as she stared the younger woman down. Emily let out a disgruntled sigh as she tossed the pistol back in to the corner of the tent. She didn't make any moves to roll back off Naomi though and the blonde started to feel an uncomfortable pressure building between her legs. It had been a long time since an attractive girl had been straddling her.  
"You said Thomas wouldn't have told them yet, not that you didn't think he would have woken up yet." Her husky voice held more than a hint of accusation. Emily was quick, she didn't miss a thing. She was already suspicious of Naomi so she decided honesty was the best policy.

"Thomas is a friend of mine." She admitted and Emily shifted so she was sitting more comfortably, though she still didn't attempt to move from Naomi's hips so the blonde propped herself up on her elbows. "We met in college, before the outbreak. He was with us in Bristol-"  
"So why didn't he know Katie? If she's really with you- not that I'm saying I believe you."  
"He left about a month after the outbreak. He went to find his family. We only met Katie a few months ago…" She trailed off, not wanting to tell Emily _how_ she had met her twin. She didn't need to know what her sister had been through. "You don't have to believe me Emily, but you're stuck with me; and I am going back home, to my _family_, whether I have to drag you kicking and screaming or not!"

She glared up at the youngest twin and recognised the determined set of her jaw. Katie often had the same look when she was trying to hold her ground, unlike her older twin though Emily knew when to back down and she rolled off Naomi and on to her side. Naomi let out a sigh, glad she wouldn't have to carry Emily all the way back to Bristol. She rolled on to her side so that she was facing the smaller girl, trying to get more comfortable with her handcuffed wrist, but with her right hand cuffed to Emily's left she found it difficult to fall asleep with the metal digging in to her flesh. Emily didn't seem to be fairing any better as she shifted and grumbled under her breath.

Giving up on trying to fall sleep as they were Naomi sighed and sat up, rubbing her wrist. "Let's switch."  
"What?" Emily turned over to face her with a scowl. She was just as grumpy as Katie was when she was tired.  
"If we switch places it'll be easier to sleep." Emily did as she was told for once and with them both lying on their sides their cuffed wrists were lying on top of their legs. It was still uncomfortable though and Emily yanked her arm down in front of her, taking Naomi's arm with her too so that the blonde was pressed right up against her. Naomi would have objected, but she had to admit it was more comfortable and warmer, so she lay silently beside her with her arm wrapped around the smaller girl and tried to fall asleep. It didn't take her long.

Over fifty miles away to the north Katie and Effy were just climbing in to bed themselves. Freddie had driven around the countryside for half the night. They couldn't really afford to waste the petrol but they had to ensure they weren't being followed. Then they'd had to explain to JJ and Panda why Naomi wasn't with them. It had been a long night and Katie was shattered, but as she stood at her door, looking at Naomi's unmade bed, she froze. The other girl was like a second sister to her; another sister she had lost. Her lip trembled as her eyes watered as her legs began to buckle. "Come on." Effy wrapped a firm arm around the smaller girl's waist and led her in to the room she shared with Panda.

She pulled back the covers of the double bed and climbed in, taking Katie with her. Fully clothed the pair of them lay cuddled up, with Katie quietly sobbing while Effy ran a hand through her hair. "Naomi's tough. She'll be ok." Effy mumbled in to the side of the other girl's head as she pressed her lips to her ear. Katie would have scoffed if anyone else had said it, but Effy didn't waste her words. She spoke with conviction and she was right. Naomi was the one who had kept a level head when the world had ended. She was the one who had helped Katie to keep it together after her ordeal in the woods. If they couldn't find her, then Naomi would find her way back to them.

"She'll storm in later and kick Cook's arse for not answering his radio." Katie chuckled, though the sound caught in her throat as she clenched her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears that were still coming. She wanted to believe that Naomi would just walk through the front door later, laughing and joking about what had happened; but a tiny part of her was wondering whether Minhas had been lying about people breaking in to the compound and taking the blonde with them? What if Naomi had stumbled on to something and they'd killed her for it?  
"She'll be ok." Effy's voice was sure and certain as she pressed her lips to Katie's cheek, her lips lingering. "Did Naomi ever tell you why I joined with her and Cook?" Katie knew they had all gone to college together, but she'd never really questioned why the group had banded together. They all seemed so close it just seemed natural that they would have chosen to live with each other.

Effy shifted so that she was leaning on her side and carried on playing with the other girl's hair as she prepared to tell her story. It wasn't something she spoke about often; just ask Katie didn't talk about how she had gone from a borough in London to a forest on the outskirts of Bristol. "When the outbreak started they closed all the schools, the universities too. So my brother Tony came home. Mum fell sick first, so me and Tony looked after her. Then Tony got sick too…he'd been dead for days when Naomi and Cook came looking for me. I was a mess, I couldn't accept he was gone…she dragged me away from him, held me while I screamed at her. I screamed and screamed until I passed out; I hadn't eaten, hadn't slept in days. When I woke up she and Cook had dug a hole in the garden. We buried him and left…I would have died in that house if it hadn't been for the two of them."

"We need to find her. When Naomi found me in the woods…" Katie's throat felt dry and her words were choked as she nestled in to Effy's side. She'd made Naomi promise to never tell the others what had happened in the woods, but from the way Effy wrapped her arms around her she guessed she had never believed the lie they had spun the others. "There were these two brothers; they took Naomi like they took me-"  
"Katie. You don't need to tell me this stuff." The intuitive girl could see how distressed Katie was and didn't want her to relive what had happened by sharing it with her.  
"No." The smaller girl sat up, her eyes were red from crying, but they held a strength that Effy had never seen in them before. Katie had seemed so broken when she'd first shown up with Naomi and Effy had known there was something more to the blonde's overprotectiveness. Katie had barely left Naomi's side in the first few weeks she had joined them and it was only once they were isolated on the farm that she started to open up to the others; to Effy.

She'd been intrigued by the mysterious girl and had been jealous of how close she and Naomi were. She'd spent months trying to win her trust, with gifts like chocolate and other small favours, hoping to find out more about her. "I want to tell you. I _need_ youto understand." Katie wiped at her eyes, drying her tears as she took Effy's hand in her own.  
"They hurt me, and they were going to hurt Naomi too...I took her gun and I shot one of them. I killed a man to save Naomi when she was a stranger…so trust me when I say I will do _anything_to get her back. Even if it means I have to stop looking for Emily; for now."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Effy climbed out of bed and sauntered over to her wardrobe. She pulled off her top and started to change as Katie stared after her. "We both know you're not going to get any sleep. So go pack a bag and we'll take the jeep and go out looking. Cook and Freddie can take the van after they've had some sleep. We'll cover more ground that way." She didn't need to tell Katie twice. The other girl grinned as she bounced off the bed and raced towards the door to go pack. She paused to give Effy a kiss on the cheek.  
"Thank you…for everything."

She went in to her room and pulled out a bag from the bottom of her wardrobe. She filled it with clothes and a few essentials before she went downstairs to find Effy. She was standing in the kitchen, arguing with Cook about what they were planning to do. "No! It's a bad idea Eff! We're low on petrol as it is! We'll get some sleep and set off in a couple of hours-" Effy refused to listen to him. She knew Katie wouldn't wait a few hours and with the overcast sky outside it was likely to rain, cutting how many hours of daylight they would get to start with. Cook wouldn't risk driving in the dark, even for Naomi.  
"The Jeep's got a full tank, we won't take anymore with us and I'll worry about it when it runs out. We're going Cook." She caught Katie standing by the door and nodded towards her as she hefted her own bag over her shoulder. "Ready?"

They kept the Jeep in one of the empty barns. They didn't use it as much as the van but it was useful to have a second set of wheels around. Effy checked the fuel gage and frowned at the little dial that was halfway between full and empty. They had less fuel than she thought. Just enough to get down to Exmoor Park, where Minhas had said the men who took Emily were camping. If they had taken Naomi too then it made sense to start looking for both of them there. They'd have to find some fuel from somewhere on the way or else they'd be walking back.

Effy wasn't too worried about it though. When the virus had really hit most people hadn't made it out of their homes and their cars were still sitting on their drives. While the cars in the cities had already been bled dry it was likely the ones in the smaller towns would still have fuel left in them. At a push they could change cars and ditch the Jeep.

The morning air was cold and crisp and Effy rolled the window down a crack to help keep her awake. She was used to living on little sleep, but she didn't want to risk nodding off behind the wheel and crashing. Katie was silent in the passenger seat beside her; she looked dog tired, but she was fighting her sleep. Effy kept her foot on the accelerator, they were going to run out of fuel anyway and she'd prefer it was close to civilisation, not halfway down the motorway. She also wanted to get as close to Exmoor Park as she could before it got dark. She wanted to keep moving for Katie, but she wasn't going to risk both of their lives by driving in the dark. The heavens had already opened and the rain was coming down thick and fast.

It was the sound of the rain that woke Naomi up in the early afternoon. The forest sheltered the tent from the worst of it, but the pitter-patter of rain was loud enough to rouse the blonde. She felt groggy and her entire body ached; especially her wrist. She was lying on her back, with her cuffed hand resting on her chest and Emily lying half on top of it. They'd shifted in their sleep and with the other girl lying on top of her Naomi felt too hot and bothered. She wanted to slip out from under her and get some fresh air outside, cool off in the rain, but with the smaller girl chained to her she couldn't exactly go far. Not without waking her up. "Emily." She used her free hand to try and rouse her by gently shaking her shoulder. "Emily- Jesus!"

The smaller girl's eyes bolted open and they looked wild and unseeing as her hand clamped around Naomi's throat. She was breathing hard and fast as she sat straddling her waist. She blinked a few times and seemed to finally remember where she was as she pulled her hand away from Naomi's neck and ran it through her hair. She was clearly on edge and Naomi made a mental note to never try and wake her again. "Fuck…" She rolled off the blonde and lay on her back, trying to get her senses and her breath back. She was still breathing pretty hard and she flinched as Naomi rolled on to her side to face her. She looked like a caged animal with nowhere to go. She looked like Katie; the second after she'd pulled the trigger and shot a man dead to save Naomi's life.

"What happened to you?" She didn't acknowledge that Naomi had spoken, but she was trying her hardest to get her to trust her, to believe what she was telling her; so she tried again. "Please, what happened to you Ems?" The nickname slipped out, she'd heard Katie call her it so many times that it seemed natural to say it.  
"Don't call me that." Her husky voice came out as a low growl as she clenched her eyes shut.  
"Because it's what Katie called you?" Her eyes snapped open again with the same madness as she pounced on her and suddenly the metal of the cuff around her wrist was biting in to the blonde's throat as she pressed down against her wind pipe and she growled in her face.

"You don't say her name! And you don't call me Ems!" Emily was angry, Naomi knew that all too well, but the blonde was hardly known for her patience and her natural instinct to fight back kicked in as she bucked her hips to dislodge the smaller girl. She rolled them over and pinned Emily's arms above her head.  
"I thought we'd covered this _Ems_! Stop trying to fucking kill me!"  
"If I was trying to kill you, you'd be dead by now!" Emily spat back with a belly of fire fuelled by grief and anger; but underneath all that rage there was just a scared kid who had lost everyone she'd ever loved.  
"What happened to you Emily?" Naomi's voice softened as she pushed again for the younger twin to confide in her, trying to make a connection between them. Emily stopped fighting her and her wide eyes began to fill with tears as she looked anywhere but up at the blonde pinning her down.

"They found me one night, when I was camping in the woods, not long after I'd ran. Michael and some of Minhas' men, they dragged me out of my tent by my hair and shoved a gun in to my mouth. Michael pulled the trigger before I could even take a breath…it jammed…that's what fucking happened to me Naomi!"  
"Emily I…I'm sorry." Naomi let go of her wrists and sat so she was to one side of the other girl. Her blood was boiling at hearing what had happened to Emily and if she ever met Michael again she would shove the barrel of her gun so far down his throat that he would choke on it. Emily hastily wiped at her eyes, her defences building back up again as she stopped herself from crying.

"We should get moving. I'm sure you can't wait to get me back so you can collect your reward from Minhas-"  
"I'm not taking you back there. I _swear_ you will never have to go back there." Naomi saw the flicker of something close to hope on Emily's face. She wanted to believe her. She wanted to believe that her twin was alive and Naomi was one of the good guys, but the world was no longer a place for sweet trusting seventeen year old girls and Emily had learnt that the hard way. It would take more than empty words to win her over. "…Katie has a birth mark on her left thigh." For a second Emily's expression softened and Naomi thought she was getting through to her. Then her face hardened and her voice came out even harder.  
"I told Mandy about that."

Naomi sighed and decided she wasn't going to get through to her any time soon. They packed up the sleeping bags and the tent in silence, struggling to move without yanking each other's wrists. By the time they started moving again neither was in a particualry good mood. The sky overhead was still cloudy and though the rain had eased off a bit the ground was wet and slippery beneath their feet as they followed the path of the river. If Naomi remembered right then the river would take them to Simonsbath, a small coastal village that would hopefully offer them food and proper shelter; and a hacksaw to get rid of the cuffs. She had no idea how far along the river they were, or how long it would take them to get to the village, but she set her mind on getting there before nightfall.

Emily was silent for the full hour they were walking and only spoke when they stopped for a break and Naomi asked her what flavour crisps she wanted. Thomas hadn't exactly packed for a long trek through the woods so they had to settle for crisps and biscuits. "I haven't had Munster Munch in years." Naomi was almost startled by the sound of her voice, she'd been quiet for so long.  
"Pickled onion." Naomi wrinkled her nose at the other girl's choice of snack as she munched on a chocolate biscuit. "Could you breathe the other way please? They're disgusting." The inconvenience of being handcuffed to the smaller girl had gotten a whole lot worse.

"Katie hates them too." Emily smiled absently then seemed to catch herself. "She did hate them."  
"Marmite too." Naomi added, still trying to convince the other girl she knew her twin well. It would be easier to get home if Emily wasn't fighting her the whole way back. "And pineapple."  
"I hate pineapple too." Emily admitted with a perfectly straight face and Naomi cracked up.  
"Fucking weird, the pair of you! How can you not like pineapple?"  
"How can you not like pickles?" She snapped back though she was grinning.  
"I love pickles, just not pickled onion." Naomi pulled a face and finally drew a laugh out of the redhead.  
"You're weird."

Emily ducked her head as she caught Naomi's eye and they shared an awkward smile. Naomi felt heat radiating in her cheeks as she looked the other way and blushed, suddenly feeling like an awkward fourteen year old again. "We should keep moving while the rain holds off." She stood up and slung her pack over her shoulder but Emily didn't budge from the rock she was perched on and Naomi's wrist jerked as she tried to walk away. She looked down at Emily expectantly and once again found herself staring in to the eyes of a scared kid.  
"I want to believe you." Her gravelly voice was hoarse and she bit down on her lip as she carefully considered her next words to the blonde. "I want to believe that Katie's alive, and that you're taking me to her and everything is going to turn out ok; but I can't. I've lost too much to put my faith in anything anymore… In anyone."

Naomi nodded in understanding. Katie had been much the same when she had first found her, but bit by bit she had slowly gotten through to the oldest twin. She was determined to do the same for Emily and she held out her free hand, the one not chained to the smaller girl, to help her up. "I don't know what I can say to you to make you believe me. Maybe there isn't anything…so come back with me. Let me _show_ you instead. Take a chance Ems."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to update! I'm back at work after a month off due to an accident and I'm pretty much just working and sleeping at the moment, so I'm pretty behind with all my fics, not just this one. I've got a few days off coming up so will hopefully get back on track with my writing.**

"The rain's getting worse. I'm going to have to pull over." Effy knew Katie wouldn't be happy about them stopping, but the rain was lashing down against the windscreen at a rate that the wipers couldn't keep up with and they had lost the sun hours ago behind the thick clouds. With no electric lighting along the road it was difficult for Effy to make out what was in front of her and they would run the risk of smashing in to abandoned cars if she carried on driving blind. They were still on the motorway and despite the rain they had managed to cover quite a bit of ground; they'd made it down past Bridgewater and were near the turn off for Taunton, which they could take in the morning and be on the edge of Exmoor Park in about half an hour if Effy put her foot down. It was far enough to keep Katie from arguing for them to carry on. She wasn't stupid, she wanted to get down to Exmoor Park to find Naomi and her sister, but she wanted to be in one piece when they got there. They were looking for a needle in a haystack as it was, without the added hindrance of the rain.

Effy pulled the Jeep in to a layby and cut the engine. Katie frowned, when Effy had said she was going to pull over she expected her to keep going until they hit a turn off for a town, not to just stop at the side of the road. "Shouldn't we find a house or something?"  
"I packed some sleeping bags and some food in the back. We should be ok sleeping here tonight." With the lights off on the car and the cover of the rain they would be invisible to anyone driving by and they were far enough in the layby to avoid being hit by anyone stupid enough to be out driving when visibility was so low.

Katie sat up front, listening to the patter of the rain against the windscreen as Effy sorted out a makeshift bed for them. The back seats folded down, opening up the boot and providing a space just big enough for them to get comfortable in. Effy rolled out the sleeping bags and zipped them together to make one big pouch for the two of them to climb in. She ushered Katie in to the back and it didn't take much persuasion as the shivering girl climbed through the gap in the front seats and crawled in to the sleeping bag beside her.

She rummaged through the bag she had packed and pulled out a thick cashmere sweater to wear to bed. Without the engine on to work the heating the temperature in the car was plummeting and it wouldn't get any warmer during the night. The rain was still heavy outside and they could hear the distant rumble of thunder outside. Katie bit at her lip as she looked for signs of the oncoming storm. She'd always been terrified of thunder ever since she was a kid, she usually had Emily by her side to keep her calm, but in the back of the Jeep there was only Effy. When the thunder rumbled closer she almost jumped out of her skin and clutched at Effy's arm. She seemed to instinctively know what the problem was and wrapped an arm around the smaller girl's shoulders as she huddled up beside her.

"It's ok." She soothed in her ear and her lips brushed against Katie's cheek. The oldest twin turned her head to catch Effy's lips in a tentative kiss. She still wasn't sure exactly what she felt for the other girl, but she knew she felt safe beside her and Effy's warm lips felt nice pressed against hers. She had never really understood Emily's attraction to girls, sure they were nice to look at and even to kiss; even Katie had kissed a few girls in her time, though admittedly to gain the attention of men around her. Most things Katie had done in her old life had been to get the attention of men, from her flirtatious attitude to her short skirts and revealing tops, but that had been before her ordeal in the woods at the hands of the two twisted brothers who had taken her from the side of the road; getting the attention of any man was the last thing on her mind.

"A car is the safest place to be in a storm." Effy reassured her. It had something to do with cars being metal and grounding the lightening, Tony had explained to her once when they were younger. Her big brother had been a fountain of knowledge, among other things, and there wasn't a day that went by that she didn't think of him; of all her family. She understood why Katie was so eager to carry on searching for Emily. None of them had any real family left; it would be nice if at least one of them could find someone they had lost.  
"It's not the storm." Katie mumbled as she laid her head down on Effy's shoulder. Her eyes were cautiously scanning the road outside for any signs of other cars. She had been taken from the side of the motorway in broad daylight. She didn't feel particularly safe sleeping in a car overnight, even with Effy by her side and a pistol tucked under her pillow. Effy tightened her grip around the younger girl's waist in response, a silent promise that she wouldn't let anything happen to her.

Thirty miles away Naomi and Emily were beginning to lose their battle against the rain too. While the forest had protected them from most of the downpour for the afternoon the trees had begun to thin out the closer they came to Simonsbath, the town Naomi hoped they could shelter in for the night. They were following the river, which ran right through the town, and the storm was beginning to make the water rise, threatening to flood the surrounding area. The grass beneath their feet was giving way with each step and being handcuffed together didn't help either girl when they were wading through thick clarts of mud that stuck to their shoes like treacle. Naomi's trainers were leaking and her feet were soaking wet. She would have to find a new pair when they reached the town.

Emily wasn't faring much better either, she'd fallen over so many times that her sweatpants were caked in mud. They were both soaked to the bone and looked like drowned rats as they stumbled through an open meadow. When Emily's foot slipped again she went crashing to the ground, almost pulling Naomi with her. "Come on, it's not much further. I can see buildings at the edge of the moor." She took Emily's hand and helped to get her back on to her feet as she reassured her they were nearly at the town. Emily grumbled but carried on trudging through the treacherous mud. Naomi kept hold of her hand to help her balance and neither girl mentioned it as they made their way towards the whitewash buildings they could see on the other side of the meadow.

When they finally reached the town they found it was smaller than they expected, more like a quant English village than a town, with its thatched cottage roofs and old stone buildings. Emily wanted to dive in to the first cottage, but Naomi kept her going, heading towards the inn. There was no sign of life in the small town and Naomi knew the chances were that the cottages would be full of the dead; she didn't want to face six month old rotting corpses so she pressed on to the inn overlooking the river. When the virus had hit few people had headed to the pubs, so the inn seemed the less likely place to find bodies, add the fact that it would have a kitchen stocked with food and guestrooms with big warm beds, it would be the safest place to spend the night.

Sure enough as they let themselves in the inn was free from bodies and the tell-tale smell of rotting flesh. With so many dead it hadn't taken long for the smell of decomposition to overcome the cities and Naomi had sworn she could still smell it long after they had moved to the farm. The previous inhabitants of the farm had all been dead in their beds too and they had spent a few weeks camping in the barn while they aired the house out, trying to get rid of the foul stench. They had set fire to the bodies of the owners, it would have been too risky to bury them on the land, no one knew how the virus worked and they didn't want to risk contaminating the soil they would be growing their crops in.

"We should find some dry clothes and some food." Emily had her priorities set, but Naomi had her own. She pulled her gun out of the back of her belt and cast a cautious glance around the foyer. If anyone in the town had survived they might have had the same idea to seek shelter in the guesthouse.  
"We need to clear the rooms, check we're the only ones here. We can find some clothes as we go." Emily didn't argue with her, she saw the sense of securing the place first and followed Naomi as she made her way upstairs, her gun held out in front of her. Most survivors she had encountered were peaceful people just trying to make the most of the lives they had left, but some could be quite vicious when their territory was being threatened. It was like what was left of the human race had devolved in the time it took for the power to run out and the water supply to stop.

Emily stuck close to Naomi's back as they swept the upstairs of the guest house, not that she had much choice considering they were tied together. Some of the rooms still had people's stuff in them, but they couldn't find a single person, living or dead, anywhere in the inn. A glance out of the window of one of the rooms told Naomi why. The grass at the back of the house, that had at one time housed a beer garden, was overgrown with weeds and flowers among the darker muddy spots that identified at least a half dozen graves. She had a feeling whoever had survived long enough to dig the graves had not stuck around afterwards. The day Naomi had buried her mother she had walked out of her house with a single suitcase and had never gone back.

They would still need to check the downstairs but Naomi was pretty certain the inn was abandoned. Spotting the wardrobe in the corner of the room they were standing in Naomi checked inside and found a small collection of clothes that had probably once belonged to a teenage boy. The clothes would be a little big on the blonde, but would probably drown Emily. They were the best they had though and it would do the smaller girl good to get out of her soaking clothes. "Um, how should we?" Naomi felt herself blushing as Emily tried to ask how they would tackle getting changed.  
"I'll turn my back." She mumbled sheepishly, feeling like a teenage boy herself as she turned away from the other girl to let her change in private. She managed out of her tracksuit bottoms ok and exchanged them for another pair that were dry but far too big. She had to pull the drawstring as tight as she could to stop them from falling down.

It was as she tried to push her hoodie over her head that she realised the problem. The cuff at her wrist meant that she wouldn't be able to get her arm out of the sleeve. "Little help here?" She tugged on the handcuffs to get Naomi's attention. The blonde spotted the problem straight away and pulled out her knife from the holster on her leg, grateful Thomas had given her it back. She cut open the sleeve of Emily's hoody so that once the smaller girl had wrestled it over her head it dropped to the floor, unhindered by the cuffs. She did the same with her own jacket. They would have to keep on the t-shirts they were wearing but luckily they weren't too wet and after a little more shuffling they were both finally in clean dry clothes.

After a sweep of the downstairs they found the kitchen and Emily's eyes lit up at the sight of the well-stocked pantry. She immediately picked up a tin of meatballs in gravy and a block of polenta. It was hardly a feast but after a day of living on chocolate and crisps it would be a substantial meal. Naomi picked up a few more cans of food and nodded towards the door that led in to the lounge of the bar. "I think I saw a log fire in there, grab a pan and we'll warm something up." It didn't take long to get the log burner going and in next to no time they had both filled their bellies with as much food as they could handle; which in Emily's case was quite a bit.

After their improvised dinner they raided behind the bar and sat down in front of the fire with a selection of crisps and nuts as well as glass bottles of Cola and bottles of something stronger. Naomi used one of the glasses she'd taken from the bar to mix the coke with some vodka, while Emily sat huddled in front of the fire cradling a litre bottle of Jack Daniels that she was sipping straight. They'd definitely hit the jackpot with the provision at the inn and Naomi was debating over whether or not to find a car and fill it to take some stuff back to the farm. She didn't really want to run the risk of being found by driving on the roads, but with the amount of spirits and bottled beers that would be stored down in the cellar they could keep half for the farm and use the rest for trade; it would fetch a fair price at the trading posts. She supposed if they stayed off the motorway and used the smaller back roads they could still avoid being spotted by anyone and maybe even manage to get back to the farm by the end of the following day.

Naomi couldn't wait to get back to her own bed. She also couldn't wait to reunite Emily with her twin, to finally have the smaller girl's trust when she realised Naomi had been telling her the truth. As it was they'd gained an uneasy truce of sorts over the day, but she could still see the way Emily kept looking at her warily out of the corner of her eye, like she was expecting Naomi to pull her knife out on her or something. The sooner they could get back to the farm the better. She just prayed that she'd find Katie and Effy safely back there too. She'd kill Cook if he hadn't gotten them away from Henham Hall.

"How did you meet Katie?" Emily broke the easy silence they had been sitting in during their improvised meal. Her eyes were glassy and her tone was still cautious, like she was trying to make conversation rather than actually gain any knowledge. Naomi didn't particularly want to tell Emily what her sister had been through, it was hardly going to win her any favour with the younger twin. So she tried changing the subject instead.  
"Ask me something Mandy wouldn't know. Something about Katie."

Emily shook her head as she brought her bottle up to her lips. She winced at the taste but carried on drinking it straight. "Come on, there must be something you didn't tell your precious girlfriend?"  
"She's not my fucking girlfriend!" Emily snapped at the blonde, sulking like a typical teenage girl. "And I don't remember what I told her, ok? So there's no magic thing that you can say to me to make me believe you…just show me my sister."  
"Sham." Naomi replied, catching the other girl's attention.  
"What?" Her eyes narrowed on the blonde like she'd just called her mother a whore. "What did you just say?"  
"It means sorry doesn't it?"  
"Katie would never tell you about that!"  
"And you'd never tell Mandy, would you?" Naomi challenged her. "Katie talks in her sleep." She smirked, feeling like she was finally gaining some ground with the other girl.  
"Maybe I did." Emily shrugged and took a long swig from the bottle in her hand. She sighed as she shook her head. "I just don't know anymore."

"We'll find a car in the morning and drive up to Bristol. We'll be at the farm in a couple of hours. Then you'll see." Naomi huffed, getting tired of Emily's pig-headedness. There was nothing she could say that would make Emily believe her, so there was no point in saying anything at all. She would just have to wait until they were back on the farm and the twins had been reunited, maybe then she and Emily could forge something of a friendship despite their rocky start.  
"I hope so." Emily's hand shifted so that her fingers brushed against Naomi's and she ducked her head. "Not just so that I get Katie back…I mean, living on a farm, growing our own food, with new friends…a new family…it sounds pretty fucking good."  
"You haven't met the others yet." Naomi chuckled. She made no attempt to move her hand out from under the other girl's.

"Tell me about them?" Emily's voice softened as they sat by the fire like they were old friends. Katie had talked about her twin to Naomi so much that it almost felt like they _were_friends. Naomi stretched her legs out in front of her towards the fire; she was starting to get pins and needles from sitting in the same position for so long and a cold chill had settled in the night air, making her feel stiff and sore. She didn't really know where to start describing the people she called her family. Emily was patient though as Naomi stared in to the flames of the fire and eventually a small smile crossed her lips.

"Well there's Cook. He's an arrogant, sexist twat and all around arsehole…but he's like a big brother. He's loyal and despite his tough guy act he's got a big heart. JJ, he's a little autistic, a little OCD and he pretty much keeps the farm running with Panda, she's way hyper, but she's nice, you'll like her. She and Thomas had a thing in college; it killed her when he decided to leave." Naomi was wary that she was talking so much, but the other girl seemed to be interested in what she had to say, so she continued. "Then there's Freddie, bit of a stoner, but a nice guy. He fancies the hell out of Effy, has done since college. Eff…well she's something else. She's strong, she knows what she wants and she goes for it, right now she wants your _supposedly_straight sister." Naomi smirked. Effy had been trying to win Katie's interest for months. At first Naomi had just put it down to curiosity; they were all interested in Katie's story. She was something new, a distraction from their own lives, but while the others had soon lost interest and started to see Katie as one of them, Effy hadn't. There were still times when Naomi would catch her looking at the younger girl like she was some sort of puzzle that needed to be solved.

"Katie went off the deep end when I told her I was gay." Emily finally spoke up. There was a distant look on her face as she spoke about her twin; she clearly missed her a lot. "But then when mum found out and started freaking out Katie stood up for me, she told her it was no big deal and that nobody would care anyway…she was always like that; she could be the biggest bitch in the world to me, but no one else could say anything…how about you? What did your mum say when you came out?"

Naomi snorted in to her drink at the question. "Who said I was gay?" She shot back, enjoying the way Emily's cheeks coloured to match her hair. She pulled her hand away from the blonde's though, and that she didn't like. The skin on the back of her hand felt cold after being so suddenly exposed to the crisp night air and Naomi had to stop herself from pulling Emily's hand back. Not that it had gone very far given that it was bound to Naomi's wrist by a few short inches of metal chain.  
"You don't kiss like a straight girl." Emily shrugged, finding some of her confidence again and it was Naomi's turn to blush.  
"Oh? And how many straight girls have you kissed Emily Fitch?"

The other girl giggled as she took a drink of her whisky and the sound was musical to the blonde. She could feel some of Emily's defences dropping and the smile on her face seemed genuine as she ran a hand through her hair, pushing it back off her face. "A few." She laughed and Naomi felt something stirring in her gut. Katie hadn't been wrong when she'd told her that she would like her twin. Besides the pig-headed stubbornness that seemed to be a Fitch family trait and her annoying habit of pulling a gun on her, Emily Fitch was pretty likeable in Naomi's opinion. "So, you're really one hundred percent straight?"  
"Maybe not a hundred percent." Naomi smirked; it had been a long time since she'd had the opportunity to flirt with an attractive girl. She'd dated guys and girls in the past, but she had to admit she had a preference for girls; particularly pretty ones. Admittedly since over ninety nine percent of the population had died from the virus she couldn't really afford to be choosey, but she'd never really thought about dating what with the world ending and everything.

The closest she'd come to flirting with another girl had been with Bex, a woman from Bristol who was in her mid-twenties and had been studying Sociology and Politics at Oxford before the virus had struck and she'd returned to the city to try and find her family. Naomi and the others had stumbled on to Bex and her group whilst foraging and Naomi had been impressed with the farm land the other group had found and cultivated for themselves. She'd also been impressed with Bex herself, though not much had happened between them other than a bit of a harmless flirting. Bex had tried to persuade Naomi and the others to stay on at the farm, but the conditions attached to staying had included Cook leaving and Naomi could never have abandoned him. They'd all been through too much to go their separate ways.

"So how straight are you?" Emily enquired as she leant forward, her gaze dropped to the other girl's lips and she was quickly rewarded with an answer as Naomi sat forward and pressed a kiss to her full lips. She bit her lip as she pulled back, waiting for Emily to respond and praying she hadn't read the signals wrong. The last thing she wanted was to spook the smaller girl when they were getting on so well. She needn't have worried though as Emily kissed her back. Her lips moved slowly at first, like she was testing the waters, but soon they were kissing as feverishly as they had back in the woods earlier in the morning.

"You're not going to head butt me again, are you?" Naomi teased as Emily pulled back, trying to catch her breath again. She laughed softly as she shook her head, but Naomi could see the mixed emotions playing on her face.  
"I can't do this." She sighed as she rested her head softly against the blonde's and Naomi felt a lump building in her throat. "I'm sorry. I just-"  
"Can't trust me?" Naomi supplied for her as she struggled over the words. She couldn't exactly blame Emily for being wary of her, if Emily herself hadn't been Katie's twin then Naomi probably wouldn't have trusted her either. The world was a very different place and even tiny teenage girls could be a real danger.  
"I want to." Emily bit at her lip to stop herself from kissing the other girl again. She couldn't deny her attraction to the blonde who was offering her everything she'd dreamt about since the fallout of the virus; a family and a home. She wanted to believe everything that Naomi was telling her. She wanted to believe the blonde was honestly trying to help her and that she was genuinely interested in her, but she'd learnt the hard way about trusting the wrong people and she wasn't sure she could cope if she was let down yet again.

In the past when Naomi had been rejected she had always made a hasty retreat, usually laughing it off with Cook and drowning her sorrows, but with Emily handcuffed to her she couldn't exactly go far from her so she settled for picking up the bottle of vodka sitting beside her leg. She felt cold and tired and generally lousy from trekking through the forest all day, but she wasn't in a hurry to suggest going to bed. It was awkward enough sitting beside the girl who'd just knocked her back, never mind lying in bed with her. "Are you ok?" Emily sounded sincere as she questioned the blonde, but Naomi couldn't bring herself to look at her so she kept her gaze on the bottle in her trembling hands. She was shaking from the cold. The rain had soaked through most of her clothing and the cold had seemed to sink in to her skin, leaving her feeling numb and shaking.  
"Cold." She mumbled back at the concerned younger twin. She flinched as Emily brought her free hand up to her forehead.  
"You're burning up."  
"Just the rain." She tried to shrug it off, but the shaking was getting worse and she put the bottle back down on the floor as the room in front of her began to spin.

"Come on." Emily urged as she helped ease her up to her feet and slipped an arm around her waist to keep her up. Naomi's legs felt like lead weights as she dragged her feet towards the hallway where the stairs were. Emily helped her all the way up the stairs and in to the first room they came across. It was decorated in the usual gaudy guest hotel style with flowery curtains and a matching bedspread.  
"I had a shirt like this once." Naomi giggled as she collapsed on to the bed and admired the quilt cover. She was starting to feel out of it, like she'd drunk the whole bottle of vodka rather than only a few shots of it.  
"I think you've got a fever." Emily informed her as she pulled back the duvet and helped the blonde under it as she climbed in beside her. From the chills running up and down her body Naomi would argue that she was far from feverish, but Emily was right; she'd broken out in a sweat, with a thin sheen covering her body. Emily wrapped an arm around the shaking girl, trying to help her feel warm again. "You'll be ok; you just need a good night's sleep in a warm bed." Emily reassured her as she pressed her lips to her cheek.

Naomi didn't say a word. As she lay in bed, trying to ignore the cramps in her stomach and the way the room around her was spinning in and out of focus, she couldn't help but remember the state her mother had been in the night she'd caught the virus. Sweating and disorientated Gina Campbell had collapsed at the kitchen table, striking her head as she fell to the floor. The wound to her head had been deep and had needed stitches, but after dialling 999 and being kept on hold for almost an hour Naomi had had to abandon her attempt to get help and use the butterfly stitches they had in the bathroom cabinet to tend to her mother's injury. She'd put her to bed with a cold compress and all the spare blankets she could find in the house. Come morning, when Naomi had checked on her in the early hours, she had been cold to the touch and as much as Naomi shouted and screamed at her her eyes hadn't opened again. Naomi wasn't sure whether the virus or the head injury had killed her, and it had been months since the virus had died out; but as she lay shaking, with Emily wrapped around, her she was gripped by the terrifying prospect that if she let her heavy eyelids close they might never open again.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long since the last update! I went back to work full time after a month off, it took some getting used to and I'm working on 5 fics at the moment so been trying to catch up on them all. I should be able to get back to regular updates soon. Once again a big thanks to everyone who's still reading and for all the awesome reviews! **

"Morning sleeping beauty." Effy smirked as the back door of the Jeep opened and Katie climbed out. Her dark purple curls were flat to her head from sleeping and her eyes were tired and unfocused. She pulled her hair back and tied it up as she took a seat beside Effy and the small camping stove that she had set up at the side of the road. "Tea?" She tipped the pan of boiling water that she was heating on the stove in to two cups and handed one to Katie.  
"Thanks." She mumbled, still half asleep. It was a cold September morning and October was creeping around the corner. She was thankful for the hot tea to warm her up. "Eugh, what is this?" She pulled a face as she actually tasted the 'tea' Effy had offered her.  
"We don't have any tea bags, or milk…"  
"So it's hot water?" Katie grumbled, but carried on drinking it regardless. She needed something to take the chill off. As warm as the car had been the night before, especially with Effy snuggled up to her, the morning was much colder and the thick rain clouds were still lumbering overhead, threatening to spill open once again.  
"Hot water _and_sugar." Effy laughed as Katie rolled her eyes and placed her chin on the older girl's shoulder. She wrapped a protective arm around the smaller girl as she drank her own improvised tea.

It was still early but Effy was keen to get driving again, she felt far too exposed on the side of the motorway. She knew all too well how vulnerable parked cars could be; she'd hijacked enough of them. They would probably need to find some petrol soon too, or commandeer another car. Something fast and shiny would probably suit them best, but a sports car wouldn't do them much good in Exmoor Park, they'd need something that could tackle the rural roads, especially with how much rain had fallen. "You really know how to spoil a girl." Katie picked up the unopened packet of Digestive biscuits at Effy's feet and helped herself to a handful.  
"I'd take you out for dinner but the service in restaurants isn't what it used to be." Effy took a biscuit for herself and nibbled on it as she stared up the road, keeping a wary eye out for approaching cars. She turned her head and caught Katie's cheek to give her a quick peck. "We should get going. We need to find some fuel." She stood up and stretched her long legs before offering a hand to help Katie up. They packed everything up and got back in to the Jeep just as the first few drops of rain started to fall. Within the hour the rain was thick and heavy again and Effy drove in silence as she concentrated on the road. Katie was grateful for the peace and quiet as she stared out at the road. With everything that had been going on she had a lot to think about. Not least what was going on between her and Effy.

She knew they would have to talk things out properly once Naomi and Emily were safe, but for the time being she was happy just letting everything go. She had never really imagined herself in a relationship with another woman, and if she allowed herself to stop and think about her attraction to Effy she would probably end up freaking herself out; the last thing she needed was to hurt Effy when she was doing so much to help her. She slipped her hand over the other girl's on top of the gear stick and smiled as Effy's lips curled up in a genuine smile. Her smile wavered as they spotted two cars in the distance, racing neck and neck along the road. Had speed limits still existed the other cars would have been breaking them twice over as they raced through the small village on the edge of Exmoor Park.

Her eyes narrowed on the cars as one of them swerved to the left, clipping the one that was slightly in front. The driver struggled to keep the car on the road as it was rammed over and over. "What are you doing?" Katie snapped as Effy slammed her foot on the break. She put a hand on the back of Katie's seat as she looked over her shoulder and kicked the Jeep in to reverse. "Don't stop, that could be anybody!" She could hear a note of panic in Katie's voice and her hand found the smaller girl's again as she gave it a squeeze.  
"Trust me." She pulled the car up one of the small side streets. She had no intention to be on the road when the cars passed. There was a caravan parked in the middle of the road behind them, so if the other cars stopped in front of them they would be blocked in, Effy was taking quite a risk in stopping. Katie's hand hovered over the door handle as she waited with baited breath for the cars to pass, praying they hadn't spotted the Jeep before Effy had reversed up the street.

She screamed as the sound of metal scraping against metal filled the air and would have been out of the car had Effy still not been holding on to her hand in a vice like grip. The cars had crashed and the front car that had been getting rammed had gone straight in to the side of the house on the corner of the street. Effy shifted down lower in her seat and Katie copied her, peeking over the dashboard as the mangled door of the front car was kicked open. They could hear shouting from the other car as a young man crawled out of the wreck of the first one. Effy gasped and by the time the three men from the other car had reached the struggling young man she was out of the Jeep, her shotgun in her hand and her pistol tucked in to her jeans. "Fuck! Effy?" Katie hissed, trying not to draw the attention of the three men who had begun kicking the teenager from the front car. The young black man looked in a bad way, like he'd already been beaten before the crash, but as far as Katie was concerned he wasn't either of their problems. Effy had other ideas though as she fired a shot off in to the air.

The three men stopped dead in their tracks and stared wide eyed at the slip of a girl who was standing in front of them with two loaded weapons and a very pissed off expression. One of them reached for a gun at his side and she shot him without hesitation, sinking a bullet and a load of buckshot in to his thigh. He screamed as he dropped to the ground, writhing in agony. His two friends made no attempt to move as they watched her like she was some kind of venomous snake, ready to strike again. Katie raced to her side, pulling her own gun as she stood beside Effy. Unlike the other girl she was practically shaking though. Effy barely batted an eyelid as the man on the ground screamed blue murder at her. The oldest of the three men held up his hands in surrender as he took a step towards her. Effy fired off a shot again, this time taking a chunk out of the tarmac in front of his feet and stopping him from taking another.

"You should have kept running, bitch!" The one that had been shot sneered at Katie, showing his blackened nicotine stained teeth. Effy pumped the shotgun again, getting ready to shoot him.  
"And you should shut the fuck up." Effy shot back just as viciously. Her tone softened as she nodded towards Katie. "Help Thomas in to the Jeep. Please?" Katie warily watched the four men in front of her. She presumed the one on the floor, that Effy was risking their lives for, was Thomas. She slowly inched forward as the young man pushed himself up to his knees. He looked in a bad way. His left eye was swollen shut and the blood from his popped nose was all down the front of his t-shirt and jeans. The other men's eyes were glued to Katie as she tucked her gun in to the back of her pants and bent down to wrap an arm around Thomas' waist.  
"Ah, Katie, you are truly an angel." His thick accent and swollen lip made it hard to understand him, but Katie heard her name loud and clear. Effy hadn't called her by name, so there was no way he could know it.  
"How do you know my name?"  
"Not really the time luv." Effy snapped a little harshly, kicking the smaller girl in to action. She helped Thomas to his unsteady feet and practically dragged him over to the Jeep. Effy covered their backs and started walking backwards towards the Jeep herself.

Katie laid Thomas down in the back of the Jeep, on top of the sleeping bags she and Effy had slept on and climbed in to the driver's seat. Effy had left the engine running so Katie was able to inch the car forward for Effy to climb in on the passenger side. She hung out of the window with the shotgun still trained on the three men. They didn't look happy about losing Thomas and Effy didn't particularly want them following them, so as Katie gunned the engine she shot out the tires on the car they had chased Thomas in. They heard the sound of gunfire following them as they raced up the road and out of the village. It was more of a desperate attempt to save face rather than actually hit them.

Katie's heart was pounding in her chest as she drove as fast as she could handle, throwing looks in the rear view mirror to check on Effy. She was in the back with Thomas, cradling him in her arms. They were clearly close and Katie felt her stomach twisting in envy. "Katie, the road!" Effy snapped as Katie's gaze lingered in the mirror for too long. She looked back just in time to see a heard of sheep blocking the road. She slammed her foot on the brake and the car went skidding to a halt just short of a broken fence.  
"F-fuck." Katie sighed out, her hands shaking as they gripped the wheel. She turned round in her chair, her eyes narrowing on the pair in the back. "What the hell's going on Effy? You could have got us fucking killed!"  
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't just leave Thomas-"  
"Who the fuck is Thomas? And how does he know my name?" Katie felt a stirring of her old personality returning as she snapped at Effy.

The other girl seemed unfazed; as though she was used to Katie's temper tantrums. She opened a bottle of water and held it to Thomas' lips. He took a few uncertain sips and then took hold of the bottle for himself. "Apologies, Katie. I am Thomas. So nice to meet you." The young man winced as he forced out every word and Katie felt like an utter bitch for shouting. She climbed in to the back with them and helped Effy to ease Thomas' three jackets off to check him for other wounds. She blushed as Thomas smiled up at her sleepily. He'd taken quite a beating for letting Emily and Naomi go and adrenaline alone had kept him going in his escape. "You are very beautiful, just like Emily." She felt her heart do a back flip as he spoke about her twin.  
"You've met Ems?"

He nodded up at her as Effy eased his head down on to a rolled up sleeping bag. "That is why they beat me. They wanted to turn her in to some bad people, but I would not allow it. I let Naomi take her…"  
"Naomi found her?" Katie jumped on his words and she felt tears stinging in her eyes as she realised they were _both _safe. She wished Thomas was a little more lucid as his eyes began to close. She wanted to hear everything; to know how he knew Emily, when he'd last seen her, where she and Naomi had gone… but he was out of it before she could ask him any more questions. Effy draped a blanket over him before climbing out of the back. She pulled out a fag from her packet and lit it with a shaking hand.

"They're safe." She breathed out a cloud of smoke, mimicking Katie's grin. "Naomi will get her home. When Thomas wakes up we'll ask him which way they went. Knowing Naomi she'll probably have her home by now!"  
"I hope so." Katie sighed as she leant in to Effy and draped her arms around the other girl's neck. Effy tossed her cigarette away and wrapped her arms around her. If anyone could get the youngest twin back to the farm it was Naomi Campbell.

* * *

Naomi opened her eyes and then instantly closed them again as a wave of nausea washed over her and the room spun in front of her. She tried again, opening them slower, and gave herself time to adjust before she opened them fully. She was met with the garish flowery curtains she had fallen asleep staring at and remembered exactly where she was. The sun was low in the sky outside and she realised she had slept most of the day; so much for her plan to wake up early and drive back to the farm. Her body felt on fire and she kicked the covers away as she rubbed at her eyes, trying to clear the sleep from them.

She paused as her wrist moved with ease and as she turned her head to look for Emily she found an empty bed beside her. Emily wasn't the only thing missing, the metal cuff that had spent a day around her wrist was gone too. Panic washed over her as she realised Emily could have left her hours ago. If she'd decided to make a run for it she could be anywhere. "Emily!" She tried to shout, but the words were like sandpaper cutting her throat. She put her feet down on the floor and tried to stand. Her head was still pounding and the room was spinning, so after only a few steps she crashed to the floor.

She heard footsteps racing up the stairs. "Naomi!" Small hands wrapped around her and helped her back in to the bed. She lay on her back, staring up at Emily with glassy, unfocused eyes. She'd thought she'd left her. With the handcuffs off she had thought Emily would run. The redhead picked up a bottle of water from the bedside table and cupped the back of the blonde's head to help her drink it. Naomi took a long drink, coughing and spluttering as she tried to take too much and almost choked. "Easy, easy." Emily used the back of her sleeve to wipe her chin and helped her back down on to the bed. "Your fever's broken, but you still need to stay in bed and get some rest. I think you have flu. Normal flu." She added as Naomi's eyes widened.

"I thought…" She mumbled, her eyes already closing over as Emily sat beside her, running a hand through her hair. "I thought you'd left…what happened to the cuffs?" She saw a blush creeping over Emily's cheeks and watched as she pulled out a small metal key from her pocket.  
"I didn't lose it…I just…I wanted to believe you Naomi. With the cuffs on I could trust you." She put the key on the table beside the water bottle and the discarded cuffs. She lay down beside Naomi, facing her and resting her head on her hands. "So why did you take them off?"

The blonde felt a little bare without Emily chained to her wrist. She had to admit she understood her thinking, she had felt reassured knowing Emily couldn't stray too far. "I needed to pee." Emily giggled and despite her state Naomi managed to crack a smile.  
"We should get on the road before it gets dark…" Naomi tried to sit up again but Emily was too quick for her. She gently pushed her back down and draped the covers back of her.  
"I can't drive, and you can barely walk. We can wait one more night." Emily bit at her lip nervously as she lay back down beside her. "Until you're feeling better." Naomi wasn't quite sure they could wait another night. She knew Katie well and she didn't think she'd just be hanging back waiting for Naomi to come home; that was if they had even gotten away from Henham Hall. She needed to know her family was safe.

"No." She shook her head and tried to sit up again. She caught Emily's hands as she tried to push her back down, but with the world still spinning she lost her balance and somehow ended up lying half on top of the younger twin. She felt Emily's breathing hitch as her eyes dropped to her lips. "We should…the others…" Her head was aching and she was struggling to focus with Emily lying underneath her. Luckily Emily was more focused as she slipped out from under her.  
"They'll still be there tomorrow. I found a van. I've been loading it up with supplies from the village, so we'll be all set to go in the morning, ok? I'll find you some food and then you can get back to sleep."

"No. I want to get up." She shook her head again. She'd slept the day away, she needed to get out bed and stretch her legs. Emily rolled her eyes as she helped her up out of bed.  
"Do you ever do anything you're told?" She teased as she slipped an arm around the taller girl's waist. Naomi let herself slump in to Emily as she helped her down the stairs. They went back in to the main bar where they'd ate their supper the previous night and Emily eased her down in front of the fire. There were cushions scattered all over the floor and the fire was already roaring, suggesting Emily had been in front of it when she'd heard Naomi falling upstairs. There was another bottle of whisky by the fire and Naomi reached for it, earning a scowl from the younger girl.

"Not for you." She chided as she put it out of her reach. She went over to the bar and came back with another bottle of water. "I'll go make us some food, you must be starved." Naomi nodded, though she didn't actually feel that hungry she wanted Emily to think she was on the mend, so when she came back with her arms full of packets and tins Naomi forced herself to eat as much as she could.

"I found these too." Emily handed over a tub of pills and Naomi's eyes struggled to focus on the small print on the label. They were antibiotics and there was only a few left inside. "These make good trade." Antibiotics were hard to come by in a world where the National Health Service was a distant memory and most of the world's doctors had contracted the flu first.  
"Never mind trade. You're taking them!" Emily snapped sternly and took the tub back off her to take two pills out. She watched her to make sure she took them before she pocketed the pill tub again. Naomi carried on sipping at the water after the pills were gone. She hated the taste of antibiotics and always had. Her mother had used to have to force them down her when she was younger.

The antibiotics started to take the edge off though and after an hour she felt a lot more level headed sitting in front of the fire with Emily beside her. Her fever had definitely passed, but her body still ached and her head felt like she had cotton wool stuffed in her ears. Emily lay down on the floor beside her, nursing the bottle of whisky she had taken away from Naomi. "You drink a lot." Naomi observed, her illness making her tongue looser than it would usually be.  
"Stops the nightmares." Emily shrugged, unable to look her in the eye. Her expression was haunted and Naomi had never seen her look more like Katie. It seemed the younger twin was as broken as Katie had been when Naomi had found her. "I see that gun jamming every night." She swallowed hard and Naomi couldn't help stop herself from lying down beside her and draping a protective arm over her.

"The nightmares stop. Eventually." Katie had woken her up screaming every night for a month solid when she had first joined them, but over time she'd started to sleep through the night. There was still the odd night when she would wake up to find Katie curled up beside her in bed, but that had become habit rather than need. The thought of waking up beside Emily sent a heat soaring through the blonde that had nothing to do with the flu. "It helps being on the farm. It's miles away from anybody else. You can't even find the road that leads to it unless you're looking for it..."  
"Sounds good." Emily mumbled, her voice came out sounding tired and gruff. "We should go to bed."  
"Sounds good." Naomi repeated the other girl's words, her lips hovering close to Emily's ear. With the warm fire at her back and Emily in front of her she was quite content to lie there all night; but she knew from experience how uncomfortable and cranky she would be in the morning if she slept on the floor.

She followed Emily up the stairs to the room they had shared the night before and it was only as Emily pulled her jumper over her head and slipped under the covers that she realised they didn't actually _need_ to share a bed with the cuffs off. She climbed in to bed regardless and if Emily had come to the same conclusion she didn't share it. The smaller girl lay in front of her, pulling Naomi's arm over her stomach and mimicking the way they had slept the previous day. Naomi buried her face in the crook of Emily's neck and her lips grazed against the soft skin there. "Goodnight Ems." The smaller girl turned her head slightly and caught Naomi's lips with her own.  
"'Night, Naoms."


	13. Chapter 13

"Easy." Effy pushed Thomas back down as his eyes opened wide and he tried to sit bolt upright. His expression softened as he realised he was safe and he lay back down on the mound of blankets he had been sleeping on. After putting some distance between themselves and the men who were after Thomas the girls had stopped in another small town to find somewhere to wait for Thomas to wake up. He'd slept longer than either of them had anticipated and when night had fallen they'd been forced to find somewhere to spend the night. They'd parked the Jeep in someone's garage so that if anyone had followed them as far as the village they wouldn't be able to find them by their car. Effy had left the halogen camping light on in the back of the Jeep in case Thomas woke up while she was gone and the whole inside of the car was bathed in a sterile blue light.

He blinked as he lay stiffly back down. He'd been beaten senseless for helping Naomi and Emily to get away; the others hadn't bought his story that that the tiny blonde had overpowered him and the cut on his head from Naomi striking him had been the least of his problems once they'd started punching and kicking him; beating him almost to the point of death. Luckily they'd been too focused on recovering Emily to finish the job and so they'd left him behind in the camp to die as they all clambered in to their cars, intending to track the two runaway girls down. They'd left only three men behind to guard the camp and once Thomas had found the strength to pull his battered body up off the ground he'd been able to get to one of the remaining cars unseen. Unfortunately the sound of the engine roaring in to life had startled the silent woods and the sounds had carried to the other men. They'd chased him for a good twenty miles, with Thomas struggling to keep his grip on the wheel and the car on the road, until he'd finally lost control and crashed in to the side of a house.

When the other men had reached him, and the merciless beating started again, he had said a silent prayer and closed his eyes, willing his death to be swift; and then a gunshot had rang out in the air and he'd been certain he'd been shot, except there was no release from the pain searing through his body and when he'd opened his eyes he'd found Effy standing in front of him like an avenging angel; an angel with a loaded pump action shotgun in her hands. He had never expected to see her again, or Naomi or his sweet Panda, but knowing he was finally safe with Effy he let himself relax against the pillows at his head.

Effy offered him the plastic water bottle beside him and he took a long drink, gasping for air by the time he finally pulled away. "Merci." He thanked her, his English faltering through sheer exhaustion. She offered him a protein bar but he shook his head.  
"You should eat something, get your strength back. You'll need it when Katie starts the Inquisition." She smiled as he mumbled something in French that sounded along the lines of 'Lord, have mercy'. "How did you and Emily end up with those people?" Effy sat beside him with her knees tucked up to her chest and her chin resting on them, waiting patiently for Thomas to catch his breath, after a particularly violent coughing fit he finally answered her.  
"When I could not get home I returned to Bristol, to try and find Panda, but you were all gone. There were many bad men in the city; I think the world has gone mad…" He finally sat up, picking up the water bottle beside him with a trembling hand and bringing it to his dry cracked lips. Once he'd drank he continued. "I left the city, started wandering the roads, that is when Jed and his men found me. They wished to rob me, but I had nothing. Instead they took me in, they fed me and clothed me and in return I helped them to hurt others." He hung his head in shame, his eyes going to the little gold crucifix hanging around his neck, and Effy could understand his plight. They'd all done things they couldn't be proud of since the world had ended.

She covered one of his hands with hers and squeezed his fingers softly so as not to upset the raw skin on his knuckles from where he'd tried to fit back. "You're a good man Thomas, God will forgive you." Although Effy didn't believe in any sort of higher power any more than she believed in the Easter Bunny, she knew Thomas' faith was important to him.  
"No." He shook his head again in dismay, his eyes cold and hard. "God would not allow this to happen. He is dead I think." He ripped the chain from his neck, breaking the flimsy clasp and sending the little gold crucifix flying. Effy felt more than a little unsettled by his hopelessness, but she hoped that once Thomas was on the mend and he was back with Panda his attitude would change. She pocketed the crucifix for him just in case.  
"Come on, let's get you inside. Katie's making dinner." She slipped an arm around him and they slowly made their way out of the car and through the garage in to the kitchen of the house they had sought refuge in. Thomas seemed to cringe with every step and Effy made a mental note to find him some painkillers.

"You're up…Hi." Katie stood by the kitchen table, awkwardly ringing the tea towel in her hands. She wasn't good with strangers, and even in his weakened state she was still wary of Thomas. Effy had done her best to reassure her that he was one of them, but it wasn't so easy for her to get over her fear of strange men.  
"Hello again, Katie. Thank you for coming to my rescue." Thomas was polite as ever as Effy helped him ease in to one of the wooden chairs by the kitchen table; he slumped forward, resting his forehead against the cool plastic table top.  
"It was all Eff really." Katie argued, and there was a hint of admiration in her expression as she smiled at the other girl. Effy smiled back as she rummaged through the rucksack in the middle of the table and produced another bottle of water and some painkillers for Thomas. He took it gratefully and once again finished the bottle off in next to no time. Katie sat a plat down in front of him that contained a few slices of homemade bread from the farm and some lukewarm beans that she had cooked on the camping stove. It was the best she could manage for them. He thanked her but made no attempt to eat. Effy took a seat at the table and began tucking in to her own plate, it had been a long day and she hadn't been able to eat whilst Thomas was unconscious.

"I know you're probably not up for it, but I need to know what happened to my sister. To Emily." Katie ignored her own food, leaving Effy as the only one actually eating at the table. "Please, I need to know she's ok."  
"She is with Naomi, she will protect her." The conviction in Thomas' voice made him sound like his old self, so Effy didn't try and stop Katie from questioning him. Not that anything she said could have stopped Katie from searching for answers about her sister. Thomas spoke slowly, concentrating on his words and trying to breathe through the pain he was in. "We found Emily in the woods in the summer, next to our camp. She had set up her own base and intended to live in the woods. Jed runs the camp, it used to be a place for…what do you call them…scouts? He was the master of the scouts. When he saw Emily take down a deer with only a bow he was impressed. He welcomed her to join us, and Emily accepted. She was very quiet at first, but we became good friends and that is when she told me they were after her…"  
"The people at Henham?" Katie interrupted impatiently as Thomas paused for another drink.  
"Yes. Emily said they were very bad people and they would kill her if they found her. We raid Henham all the time for supplies, but two days ago the men came back with a hostage; I could not believe my eyes when it was Naomi! She protested that she was not with them, that you were alive, but Emily would not listen…then the men realised Emily was worth more as a hostage than Naomi, they were going to turn them in, so I helped Naomi to get away. Emily was not keen, but there was no time-"  
"But she's ok right? I mean, they both are? Emily and Naomi?"  
"As far as I know they were alive and well two days ago."

"Two days." Effy spoke up, finally breaking her self imposed silence. "Naomi could have got her back to the farm by now…we're too far out of range for the radio though."  
"Should we head back?" Katie questioned, though she seemed uncertain. "What if they're not there? What if they got in trouble and they need us?" Effy's answering shrug in return wasn't much comfort.  
"There's nothing we can do Katie, Naomi doesn't have a radio and we don't know where they could be. Thomas is in no shape to be driving up and down the country looking for them. Checking in at home is the best option. We'll spend the night here then go back to the farm in the morning to drop Thomas off. Maybe Emily and Naomi are already waiting there for us?" The other girl knew it could be just as likely that Naomi and Emily were stranded somewhere, but she knew Effy's reasoning was sound. The countryside was a big place and the girls could be anywhere in two days. Going home was their best shot.  
"Fine, but we leave first thing, and if they're not there we come straight back!"  
"Of course. Let's all get an early night. I've already checked the house, no corpses, so the rooms should be fine to sleep in." With their plans decided on Effy and Katie helped Thomas up the stairs to the second floor where they put him in to a single bed with a Power Rangers duvet cover. The room had clearly belonged to a child; another nameless victim of the tragedy that had swept the globe.

Effy led Katie to the master bedroom where they both collapsed on to king-size bed in the middle of the room. Despite the ample room, and the warmth of sleeping in a house, when they crawled under the covers they lay huddled together. "They're both really still alive." Katie sighed with a great sense of relief, though she tightened her grip on the arm Effy had around her waist, as though muttering the words out loud would jinx the good luck they'd finally found. "Everything's going to be ok." Effy clenched her fist around the small gold crucifix in the palm of her hand as she pressed her lips to Katie's cheek.  
"I hope so."

* * *

"This is fucking shit man!" Cook slammed his foot against the side panel of their van, adding yet another dent to the battered old transit van. "It still says we've got a quarter of a tank!" The van had spluttered a stop down a country road, miles from anywhere. They'd been driving down to Minehead to try and catch Effy and Katie up and were somewhere near the coast. They'd been trying to get the girls on the radio all day but hadn't had any response.  
"Fuel gauge must be faulty." Freddie slammed the bonnet down and rubbed his hands on the oily rag tugged in to his jeans. "We're definitely out."  
"Fuck!" Cook kicked the again, his steal toe cap boots leaving another noticeable dent in the metal. "We're sitting ducks out here." The van was full of supplies and if anyone tried to raid them they'd be stranded in the middle of nowhere with little more than the shirts on their backs.  
"Walk it?" Freddie nodded towards the nearest road sign with the names of various towns, the closest of which was five miles away.  
"Fuck it, might as well, might find a car on the way. Pack what you can carry."

The two teenagers put as much as they could carry in to backpacks and abandoned everything else in the van. The roadside was pitch black and though cars were a rare sight they could still be a danger if one came speeding along in the dead of night. They kept to the side of the road so they could use the bushes for cover if any cars did pass them. Freddie pulled out his last joint from one of the many pockets of his combat trousers and sparked up. He took two long draws before passing it to Cook. "Do you think Naomi's still alive then?" He quizzed. Cook took a drag and held the smoke in for as long as possible as he nodded.  
"She's too fucking stubborn to die that one." He finally answered as he exhaled. "She's probably sitting back at home, wondering where the fuck us numpties are!" He laughed and Freddie nodded in agreement.

They carried on walking down the road and smoking, switching to normal cigarettes once the joint was finished. They'd gone almost two miles when they noticed a light up in the distance. "Hold up." Cook shoved Freddie further in to the bush as he ducked in beside him. "Looks like a camp fire." He squinted along the road.  
"Should we go around through the field?" Freddie questioned, trusting Cook to know the best course of action. The hedge along the road was low but would cover them while they crept passed whoever had set up camp by the side of the road.  
"Nah, looks like just one bloke. We'll keep moving, walk in the middle of the road and make enough noise so he hears us coming. Don't want anyone thinking this is an ambush, yeah?" With a plan set they both moved in to the middle of the road and carried on walking at a normal pace.

As they neared the camp fire that illuminated a small section of the roadside Cook's suspicions were confirmed. It was definitely only one man. He sat in front of the fire, huddled under a thick woollen blanket and clutching a bottle of something. There was a small truck parked behind him  
and the back seemed to be full of supplies. "Alright mate!" Cook shouted ahead, catching the man's attention. He shot to his feet, his hand reaching to the pistol at his side. "Whoa! Easy fella! We don't want no trouble; our van broke down a couple miles back." Cook held his hands up at his sides and the man's beady eyes narrowed on the gun at his waist. He had the sort of weathered face that made it hard to guess his age, though Cook would put him in his forties. His long dark scraggily hair was flecked with grey and tied back in a ponytail. He looked between the two teenage boys as they drew closer and his left hand dropped from the gun at his side. He held up his right hand with the bottle in it. Cook was finally close enough to see the label and could tell it was a twelve year old single malt.  
"Drink?"

He took it with a grin and helped himself to a swig before passing it to Freddie. "Thanks mate, ciggy?" He tossed his half-finished pack towards the man who took one out and held it between his lips as he patted his pockets looking for a lighter. He took a seat back down in front of the fire again and the two boys joined him.  
"Name's Mick." He informed them as he took his bottle back and looked at them expectantly.  
"I'm Cook, this is Freddie." Cook introduced them both as Freddie sat silently smoking. "You want to be careful with that fire mate, too many fucking thieves on the roads these days." The man snorted at Cook's warning as he poked the fire with a thick stick.  
"Tell me about it. Was travelling with my brother a few months back when these two bitches we picked up pulled a gun on us. Shot my brother dead, god rest the poor bastard's soul." He crossed himself as he shook his head in dismay. "Been driving around looking for them ever since."  
"Sorry to hear that mate, been enough death as it is." Cook shook his head, trying to sympathise with the man. He could care less about his dead brother but if he played it right he and Freddie could spend the night by the warm fire rather than walking along the seemingly endless road.  
"Yeah well, there'll be two more when I find 'em. If you lads want I'll give you a lift to the next town in the morning?"  
"Nice one mate!" Cook grinned as he was handed the bottle of Scotch whisky again.  
"Thanks." Freddie added in his usual blasé tone. He nudged Cook when the man wasn't looking though; he was getting a seriously bad vibe from the older man. Cook dismissed his concerns as he took another swig of whisky and thrust it under Freddie's nose.  
"Relax man. Have a drink."

* * *

"Hey sleepy head, feeling better?" As Naomi sat up in bed and wiped at her eyes she was greeted by the sight of Emily carrying a plastic tray in to the bedroom. She sat it down beside the blonde on the bed and the smell of strong black coffee was overwhelming. There were two cups of coffee, and an open tin of pineapple with a fork in it. "Best I could do I'm afraid."  
"Do you actually sleep?" Naomi quizzed as she pushed the blankets aside and picked up one of the coffee cups. Emily always seemed to be up first, and even when she was asleep she seemed to be on edge, her body alert and waiting to run at a moment's notice. Katie had been the same for a long time after her ordeal with the brothers who had taken her.

"Not much." Emily admitted as she picked up the other cup and sat perched on the end of the bed. "How you feeling?"  
"Better." Naomi sighed. She still felt a little sluggish and worn out, but the world had stopped spinning and her headache had eased. Outside it was still dark, with the sun only just beginning to drag itself over the horizon. "We should finish loading the van and get going-"  
"Already loaded. We can go as soon as you've had your breakfast." Naomi forced herself to eat a few forkfuls of the pineapple, but the sickly sweet fruit was too much for her still delicate stomach and she pushed the rest aside, eager to get on the road. She couldn't wait to get back to the farm, where she could have a nice hot bath, wear her own clothes and climb in to her own bed.

Happy that she'd at least attempted to eat something Emily lead her out of the guest house and to the van waiting outside. It was a small blue transit van that was half the size that Naomi was used to driving. It had an advertisement for a window cleaner on the side panel and looked to be in good condition, apart from a smashed front light. "Told you I can't drive." Emily shrugged when she noticed Naomi inspecting the damage. "I had to get it from the other side of the village to load it up. It's mostly stuff from the basement in the pub, spirits, cigarettes, a few tins and packet stuff." Naomi pulled open the backdoor of the little van and was impressed to see it crammed full. Emily had done a good job without her. The blonde felt guilty about leaving her to do it all herself.

"When we get back to the farm I'll teach you if you want?" Naomi suggested as they both climbed in to the front of the van. "I've tried to teach Katie, but she took out three fences and a scarecrow. We spend a lot of time foraging and working the farm, but we get time to have fun too."  
"Dad tried to teach me and Katie when we turned seventeen. Katie wrecked the car." Emily laughed. "I'd like to learn though." Emily bit her lip as a slight blush coloured her cheeks and Naomi felt her own cheeks going red as she turned her attention back to starting the van up. Her plan was to head straight for the motorway and up to the farm. The side roads would be safer but they would add hours to their journey and Naomi wanted to get Emily back to her twin as quickly as possible. She felt like she and Emily were growing closer, but the other girl's inability to trust her was still driving a wedge between them. When Emily had kissed her last night it had been just that, a single kiss. Naomi wanted Emily to be able to trust her and getting her to Katie was the only way to do that.

The van started easily and the purr of the engine was reassuring as Naomi slipped in to gear and pulled out of the car park in front of the guest house. They got on to the main road running through Exmoor Park and made it on to the motorway by the time the sun had finally pulled itself in to the sky. They drove in relative silence until Emily began rummaging through the cassette tapes in the van's glove box. "Oh my god!" She grinned as she pulled on of the tapes out and popped it in to the cassette player, cranking the volume up high. Naomi cringed as she heard the first few beats of the song.  
"Spice Girls? Seriously?" She frowned as Emily started bopping along to the music in her seat. There was a genuine smile on her face for a change though and, though Naomi wouldn't admit it out loud, she could probably put up with the horrendous music as long as it kept Emily happy.  
"Katie used to make me do dance routines to their songs. We'd put on shows for mum and dad." Emily giggled. "We even entered the school talent show once." Naomi found her lips curling in to a smile as she watched Emily out of the corner of her eye. After the fourth rendition of the song though her patience was wearing thin and she turned the cassette player off.

Emily pouted but her face lit up again as she suggested they play a game. "Oh, let's play I spy!" Naomi rolled her eyes but when Emily started playing she soon joined in. "I spy with my little eye, something beginning with…R."  
"Road." Naomi answered dryly, earning a chuckle from Emily.  
"Nope." Twenty minutes later and Naomi still hadn't guessed right. She was close to suggesting Emily put the Spice Girls back on to get some peace. "Do you give in?"  
"Yes. I give in." She sighed in exasperation, finally swallowing her pride at failing so miserably at a child's game.  
"Radio!" Emily beamed proudly. "My turn again-"

Naomi was almost grateful when she caught sight of two cars in the middle of the road ahead of them. They were parked nose to nose, blocking all three lanes and the low stone wall in the middle of the motorway meant Naomi wouldn't be able to go around them. There was a man behind the wheel of each car and another three men standing in front of the cars with guns. Only one of them had a rifle, the other two just had pistols. She couldn't tell if they were Minhas' men, the men from the woods, or just everyday bandits, but either way she wasn't about to stop for them. The van was sturdy enough to ram the cars; the only thing she'd have to worry about would be the rifle.  
"What do we do?" Emily asked, looking to Naomi for guidance. Her eyes were wide with fear.  
"I'm going to ram them. Climb in the back and keep low." Naomi instructed, her voice was firm and her jaw set. Emily did as she was told without question and climbed through the gap in the seats as Naomi slowed the van down, giving her time to duck behind the seats. The men started walking towards them with their hands held up like they were traffic officers flagging them down, thinking Naomi was slowing to a stop. The second Emily was safe she slammed her foot down on to the accelerator and sped towards the men and their makeshift road block. They had the good sense to dive out of the way and one of the cars moved to avoid being hit, so the van only clipped the second car, shunting it out of the way. Unfortunately the man with the rifle recovered quickly and fired a shot at the back of the van.

The sound of the round and the buckshot tearing through the back door filled the van, followed by the sound of breaking glass and Emily screaming. "Ems?" Naomi looked over her shoulder and found the smaller girl clutching her leg and howling in agony. "Fuck, were you hit? Are you ok?"  
"No, some bottles shattered, it's just glass." Emily hissed as she pulled a chunk of glass out of her leg. "Fuck!" She tore at the sleeve of her shirt and wrapped it around her thigh like a tourniquet. Her hands were covered in blood.  
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Naomi cursed as there problems were made worse when the sound of the two cars roared in to life behind them and started to give chase. "Hang in there Ems; I need to lose them before we can stop." Emily nodded through gritted teeth as she propped her leg up on a keg, raising the wound above her heart to try and stem the bleeding. They both jumped at the sound of the rifle going off again and Naomi risked a glance in the wing mirror. She found the one with the rifle hanging out of the window of the lead car, aiming at the back door again.

"Hold on!" She shouted to Emily as she started swerving the van across the road, making it harder for the gunman to actually hit them. He let off two shots, one of which missed and the other took out one of the wing mirrors. He slipped back in to the car to reload and Naomi started driving straight again, pushing her speed up to try and outrun them; though on an empty motorway it was hard to lose a tail. They were maybe thirty minutes away from the farm, but she couldn't risk leading them there and she wasn't sure Emily could last thirty minutes without getting her leg seen too. She spotted a familiar turn off and spun the wheel to take it at the very last minute. The lead car chasing them sped past the turn, but the second one was able to make it and the other car soon did a U turn to follow it. Keeping her foot down Naomi sped down the slip road and raced along a familiar path until she reached the turning for a large dairy farm. She started slamming her hand against the horn, making as much noise as she could as she drove up the dirt road leading to the gate of the farm. It was still early but she knew the people on the farm kept a constant guard for intruders. She'd barely slammed her foot on the brakes when half a dozen people scrambled over the metal gate blocking the road.  
The other two cars skidded to a halt behind her and the guns were promptly turned on them as Naomi scrambled out of the cab of the van with her hands in the air. The men chasing her stayed in their cars, warily eyeing the guns trained on them. Counting their losses they slammed their cars in to reverse and sped off.

Naomi let out a sigh of relief as she dropped her hands and turned to one of the men with the rifles. In his late forties and with a scar along his jaw he was an intimidating figure at over six foot tall and his expression was set in a scowl. "Cole I'm so sorry I had nowhere else to go-" She was cut off as the giant of a man lunged forward and wrapped her up in a hug. As ferocious as he looked him was a gentle giant really.  
"Why is it trouble follows you everywhere Campbell?" A young blonde woman climbed over the metal gate and copied her father by wrapping her arms around Naomi.  
"Bex, I'm so sorry, these guys started chasing us and I couldn't lose them…they shot at us and…fuck, Emily!" She pulled away from the other woman and scrambled over to the van, yanking open the side door she climbed over the mountain of bottles and boxes to get to Emily. The other girl looked smaller than ever and was deathly pale. A pool of blood had formed under her leg and her eyes were barely open.

"Move!" Cole climbed in to the van and scooped Emily up in to his arms like she was a rag doll. Once she was out of the van he carried her over to a quad bike just inside the gate and wrapped his belt tightly around her thigh to stop the bleeding. He cradled her against his chest as he sped off up to the farmhouse. Naomi felt her knees buckle as she watched them go. They'd been so close to the farm, and once again her careful plan had fallen apart. She would have fallen to the ground had Bex not wrapped an arm around her.  
"Hey, she'll be ok. Doc will take care of her. Come on; let's get you up to the house. Matt, drive the van up will you." Bex led her over to another of the quad bikes as the rest of the farm hands returned to their posts. They drove in silence up to the farmhouse and they found Emily and Cole in the kitchen. Emily was spread out on the kitchen table, lying on a sheet with a grey haired old man leaning over her leg, pulling out chunks of glass with tweezers. His thick round glasses were balanced on the tip of his nose as he scrutinised the wound. Emily whimpered as he took out another slither of glass and dropped it on to the plate beside her leg. Naomi went straight over to her and clutched her hand, reassuring her that she'd be ok.

"Can't you give her something for the pain?" She demanded as the doctor started stitching the large gash down the side of her leg and Emily whimpered again. The elderly doctor shook his head as he pushed his glasses up his nose with the tip of one gloved finger.  
"We don't have any anaesthetic. I can give her some painkillers when I'm done." He returned to stitching Emily's leg. It looked like a shredded mess, but once the doctor had finished stitching and had bathed the leg in warm water it looked a lot less severe. The doctor bathed it in iodine and bandaged it up with a crisp white dressing to keep it clean and then pulled off his plastic gloves, tossing them straight in to the bin. Naomi was grateful Emily had passed out with the pain and the tiny girl didn't even stir as Cole scooped her up again and carried her upstairs to put her in to a bed.  
"The glass didn't go deep enough to cause any nerve damage, if she keeps it dry and clean it should be fine in a few weeks. I'll dig out some painkillers and some antibiotics.

"Thank you. We've got plenty in the van to trade for them-"  
"Forget it Naomi, you're practically family." Bex dismissed her offer as she cleaned up the kitchen table, disposing of the bloody rags and the shards of glass that had been embedded in Emily's leg. "How about some tea; or something stronger?" She suggested as she took in Naomi's pale and shaking form.  
"Uh, no…thanks. I think I'm going to check on Ems. Can you try and get Cook on the radio? I just really want to get home."  
"Sure."

She left the other blonde in the kitchen as she made her way upstairs in search of Emily. She'd been at the farmhouse a few times and easily found the spare room that Emily had been put in. Bex had grown up on the dairy farm with her parents and her two brothers, unfortunately her mother and siblings had died in the outbreak, leaving just her and her father. They'd gathered a group of a dozen or so who all lived and worked on the farm, raising the cattle and working the land; the dairy farm had been Naomi's inspiration for finding a place for her own group and Bex had actually helped them find it. The two groups had been close, with Bex's people helping to get the farm up and running again and trading skills for goods. Bex had taken a shine to Naomi and hadn't hidden her attraction to the younger blonde; but Naomi's thoughts were solely on Emily as she climbed in to bed beside her.

Emily's eyes fluttered open as Naomi pressed her lips to her cheek. "Hey." The blonde whispered as she brushed a strand of hair out of Emily's face. "I'm so sorry Ems. I thought you'd be safer in the back-"  
"Shhh." Emily cut her off as she cuddled in closer to her. She winced as she moved her injured leg, but didn't let it stop her from burying her head in the crook of Naomi's neck. "Wasn't your fault." Exhausted from the chase Naomi let her body relax as she wrapped an arm protectively around the smaller girl and kissed her cheek again. Emily moved her head and their lips caught against one another. They lay cuddled together on the bed, their lips locked in a slow endless kiss. Emily was doped up to the eyeballs on painkillers though and eventually her lips began to still as she started to drift off. Naomi pulled away and kissed the tip of her nose, intedning to let her sleep.  
"We're almost home Ems. I promise."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** **Sorry for the delay in updating. I was focusing on finishing off another fic and I haven't had much time to write with work. I should be back to updating regularly again now though. As ever, big thanks to everyone who's still reading.**

"How's she doing?" Bex quizzed as Naomi finally descended the stairs and joined her in the living room in front of the fire she was tending. It was late and, with the sun setting the temperature was quickly dropping. Naomi sighed as she sat down in front of the fire and wrapped her arms around her knees. They'd lost yet another day. It had been almost three days since she'd last seen her family and she wasn't even sure if Katie and Effy had made it out of Henham Hall. She'd fallen asleep beside Emily and had spent the afternoon lying in bed with her. The smaller girl was still sleeping quite peacefully despite the damage to her leg. The farm's doctor had given her some pretty serious painkillers though which would probably keep her out for the rest of the night.  
"Ok." She answered, rubbing at her own tired eyes. She felt absolutely drained and couldn't wait to spend the night in her own bed. "Thanks again for taking us in."

"No problem. You know you're always welcome here." The older blonde shrugged at her with an easy smile as she set aside the book she was reading. Naomi glanced down at it and smirked as she picked up the battered paperback. "Stephen King's 'Cell'? Seriously?"  
"Trying to get some survival tips." Bex laughed as she snatched the book back from the younger girl's hands.  
"Team up with a gay guy and a fifteen year old?"  
"You've read it then?"  
"Yeah, I prefer Dean Koontz though."  
"Ok, off my farm!" She shoved the younger girl playfully, grinning as Naomi shoved her back. The two had hit it off from the start and had Cook not caused so much trouble on the farm Naomi and her family might have stayed with Bex and the others. Cook had caused too many arguments and started too many fights. Cole, Bex's father, had refused to let him stay on the farm and Naomi hadn't been able to turn her back on him. The two groups still kept in touch, trading goods and sharing information, but it had been a while since Naomi had last been to the dairy farm.

"I couldn't get Cook on the radio by the way. I couldn't get any of them." Naomi felt her heart drop as she considered the possibility that Katie and the others hadn't made it home. That wouldn't explain why Panda and JJ weren't answering the radio though.  
"Maybe they're all out looking for us…we usually leave someone behind to mind the farm though." She frowned. Panda was useful when it came to playing possum in the middle of the road and JJ was pretty good at map reading, but the blonde couldn't see Cook or Effy taking them along on the road and just leaving the farm unattended. "Maybe they're just in the fields without the radio?"

"Katie always keeps it on her when you guys are away." Bex shared her concern as her brow furrowed. At Naomi's puzzled expression she elaborated how she knew the radio was always with Katie. "I call in and check on her some days…when you're out." She bit her lip as she dropped her gaze, her eyes narrowing on the fire as she felt her cheeks burning.  
"Katie never said." Naomi huffed; feeling a bit miffed knowing that her supposed friend had been avoiding her. Things had been strained between them since she'd chosen to stay with Cook and, though she'd thought Bex might have been avoiding her, it was still hard to have her admit it. "You should come over more often, you and your dad are always welcome."  
"Thanks. So what's Emily like then?" The older blonde quizzed, her eyes still glued to the fire. It was Naomi's turn to bite her lip as she felt her cheeks colouring. What was Emily like? In a word she was _amazing_.

Emily was a fighter, a survivor, yet at the same time she was even more vulnerable than Katie. Something about the other girl just made Naomi want to scoop her up and hold her tight, keeping her safe from the many dangers of the terrible new world they had inherited. When Emily had been shot, Naomi had felt the world slipping out from under her feet. In the few days she had known the other girl she had become quite attached to the fierce little Fitch. The thought of losing her, of losing any more of the people she cared about, was enough to turn Naomi's stomach.

As close as they were growing though, Naomi knew the other girl would never fully trust her until she proved to her that her twin was still alive. Naomi's longing to get home to the farm had been growing steadily from the day she'd been taken from Henham Hall and, had Emily not been flat out from exhaustion, she would have been tempted to climb in the van and drive the short distance back to the farm; back to her family. She would even risk driving in the dark in order to get back quicker. As it was though, Emily was in no fit state to be moved and a good night's sleep would do her good. They would set off first thing if she was up to it.

"Emily's great." Naomi finally answered the older blonde as she prodded at the fire with a heavy iron poker, pushing the burning embers aside to keep the flames going. "She just…she can't trust me. I _need _to get her back to the farm, to prove to her that I'm not lying about Katie..."  
"Looks like you've fallen hard, Campbell." Bex teased. She was smiling, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Leaning forward she pressed her lips to the younger blonde's cheek before pushing herself up to her feet. "She's a lucky girl…I'll see you in the morning."  
"Uh…yeah…'night." Naomi sat dumbstruck as watched the other girl ascend the stairs. The pair had always been quite flirtatious, but Bex had never been so open about her feelings for her before. It wasn't Bex's kiss that was playing on her mind though as she carried on poking and prodding at the fire; her lips still tingled from the ghost of Emily's soft yet demanding kisses earlier. Just thinking about the other girl sent shivers running up and down her spine and warmth flooding through the pit of her stomach. She had only known her a few days, but she had listened to Katie talk about her twin for months, slowly falling for a girl she had never thought she would get the chance to meet. She waited for the fire to die out before she put the poker down and silently made her way back upstairs. It was still early in the evening, but most of the people on the farm were already asleep. They would be up hours before first light to see to the cows and work the farm.

When Naomi slipped in to the room she and Emily were being up in, she found the smaller girl still fast asleep. Cole had given her some pretty heavy duty painkillers for her leg, so she didn't stir when Naomi crawled in to bed beside her. It was probably for the best. Had she been awake, the blonde wasn't sure she would have been able to keep her hands to herself. Lying on her side she watched the younger woman sleeping. She looked even more like Katie when she was asleep, the anger and fear gone from her face. Naomi was missing the older twin, she missed all of her family, but she missed Katie most. They had barely spent a day apart since Naomi had stumbled upon Katie and the brothers in the woods. She just hoped that, wherever the oldest twin was, Effy was taking care of her.

Despite the long day she'd had, Naomi just couldn't switch off to go to sleep. Her mind was racing and her body felt like it was on fire when Emily grumbled something in her sleep and rolled on to her side, her head coming to rest on the blonde's chest. She wrapped her arms around her as she lay staring up at the ceiling, willing herself to just fall asleep. She felt anxious just lying there, so close to home yet not knowing what had happened to Katie and the others. She contemplated getting in the van and taking the twenty minute drive to the farm, but that would mean leaving Emily behind, and Naomi didn't want to take that risk; the way her luck was going she'd probably come back to find the youngest twin missing; or worse. She had no choice but to wait until Emily was up to travelling.

* * *

Effy sat on the low stone wall outside the house she, Katie and Thomas had sought refuge in, a fag pressed between her lips and a thick wool blanket wrapped around her slender frame. It was late and without any electric lamps the street was in total darkness. Sitting on the wall she was almost invisible apart from the small glow of her cigarette lighting her pale face. She heard her radio crackle and Cook's impatient voice filled the silent street. "Eff, where the fuck are you? We can't find this street anywhere!" He'd finally got in touch through the radio an hour earlier and Effy had given him and Freddie instructions on how to find the house. They'd been with some random bloke who had been giving them a lift and so Effy had refused to give out the address until they were on their own.  
"You're standing on it." Effy sighed in to the radio as she watched the two boys stumbling up the road in the darkness. Cook's immaculate white Nikes were practically glowing in the dark. "Keep going straight, I'm sitting outside." She pulled her lighter out of her pocket and struck the flint, sparking up a small light like it was a candle sitting in a window, guiding them home.

"EFFY!" Cook hollered loud enough to wake the dead, and considering they were in the middle of a deserted village there was a good chance the houses around them were full of the dead; though six months after the outbreak she doubted there would be little left of their bodies. If nature hadn't ravished the corpses of the residents then the local dogs would have. Effy rolled her eyes as she scanned the street for any sign of movement, be it from other survivors or just the local wildlife. The street was thankfully still apart from the two boys making their way along the road towards her. She stubbed out her cigarette on the brick wall and tossed it aside as Cook came bounding over to her. He went to lean in for a hug but she pulled away, wrinkling her nose in disgust. He stunk of cheap cider and weed. Freddie was the same, and his eyes were as wide as saucers. They were both drunk and high! One of their closest friends was missing, dead for all they knew, and they were enjoying themselves! "Eh? Where's the love?" Cook sulked as Effy stood up to get away from him and wrapped the blanket tighter around herself.

"Naomi's fine by the way." She snapped, instantly sobering him up.  
"We were looking for her!" He tried to defend himself, but he knew he was in the wrong. Freddie had the good grace to keep quiet as he kicked at the path, scuffing his battered old trainers against the gravel drive of the house they would be spending the night in. "We met this tip top bloke right, and he's been driving us around all day, helping look for Naoms-"  
"She's heading home." Effy cut him off as he rambled on. "We found Thomas, Naomi found him, and Emily-"  
"Tommo's here!" Cook cackled. "Nice one, where is he?"  
"Sleeping! So keep it down!" Effy hissed as she punched Cook in the arm hard enough to bruise. She turned her attention to Freddie with a glare. "There's a spare room upstairs, third on the left, keep him _quiet!" _She turned on her heels and left the two boys helping each other up the drive.

After checking in on Thomas, and finding him fast asleep, she returned to the room she and Katie had taken and found the other girl sitting up in bed. The thick curtains at the window were slightly ajar and Katie had obviously been peeking out of them when she'd woken to find Effy gone. "Cook and Freddie found us." Effy explained as she slipped back in to bed beside her.  
"I heard." Katie sighed as she cuddled in to the older girl. It would have been impossible not to hear Cook. "So we can leave for the farm first thing then?"  
"First thing." Effy mumbled in agreement as she pulled Katie closer to her, so that they were spooning, just like they had been before the radio had woken Effy up. She pressed her lips to the smaller girl's cheeks and Katie craned her neck to catch her lips. Effy's own lips curled in to a smile. Katie was slowly growing more confident with her, though her body stiffened as Effy's hand slipped down between their bodies. "Sorry." She quickly apologised as she pulled her hand back, not wanting to freak the other girl out. Katie didn't say a word, but she didn't pull away from her either. Effy had fucked plenty of people, some were even girls, though the sex had meant little, if anything, to her. She had never fallen for another girl before. She wasn't quite sure what to say or do, especially since Katie wasn't even sure on her sexuality. She settled for keeping her arms wrapped around the smaller girl, holding on to her while she fell in to a light sleep. No doubt she would be up at the crack of dawn to get back on the road.

* * *

Emily's eyes snapped open as pain shot up her leg. The offending limb felt stiff and sore as she struggled to sit up. She had to untangle herself from Naomi before she could push the covers away and slide her legs over the side of the bed. Her injured leg was swollen to twice the size of her other one and the skin around her stitches was red raw and inflamed. The doctor had had to dig deep in to her flesh to remove all of the glass and Emily had passed out before she'd seen the finished stitching. When she'd first woken up she'd been too distracted by Naomi to check her wound. Despite the large gash that had been cut in to her thigh the stitches didn't look as bad as she had expected and hopefully it wouldn't scar too badly either. She warily pushed herself up on to her feet and bit back a scream as the pain in her thigh increased tenfold. She flopped back down on to the bed with a heavy sigh and cast a glance back at Naomi, glad to find her still sleeping. Even while sleeping the other girl looked exhausted and Emily didn't have the heart to wake her. She wasn't really sure what to say to her when she did wake up either. They'd ended up falling asleep holding each other after their extensive kissing and Emily wasn't sure how to feel about that. She fancied the blonde, hell who wouldn't? She was smart and gorgeous and Emily would have had to be blind not to fancy her, but the youngest Fitch still couldn't be certain that Naomi wasn't just stringing her along for the reward Minhas was offering. She wasn't sure her heart could take the other girl letting her down if she let her get too close. She would have to work harder at keeping her walls up around Naomi until she knew one way or another whether she could trust her.

Gritting her teeth she pushed herself back up on to her feet and tried to ignore the pain as she slowly shuffled towards the door. Taking one step at a time it took her almost ten minutes to get out of the room, along the hall and halfway down the stairs. She sat down three steps from the bottom, clutching her aching thigh and cursing under her breath. "Emily?" A blonde woman in her early twenties emerged from the living room and instantly spotted her on the staircase. Emily vaguely recognised her from in the kitchen the previous afternoon, when the doctor had been working on her while Naomi anxiously looked on. The older blonde had been holding her hand. She made her way over to Emily and slipped an arm around her waist to help her down the last few stairs. Despite her wariness of the stranger, the smaller girl was grateful for the help. She let Bex take most of her weight, though the tiny girl didn't weigh all that much, and the pair slowly made their way in to the living room across the hall. Bex helped her in to an overstuffed reclining armchair and popped the footrest up so that her thigh was raised. She left for a few minutes before returning with a glass of milk and some small white pills that Emily presumed were painkillers.

She eyed them sceptically, as though the stranger would have a reason to poison her. Bex seemed unfazed by her over cautiousness as she scrutinised the pills, looking for any sort of markings. "Just Paracetamol I'm afraid, ran out of MDMA a few months back." Her voice was light and teasing and despite her wariness Emily found herself smiling. She placed one of the pills on her tongue as she picked up the glass of milk. She drank half the glass swallowing just one of the tablets. The others quickly followed and she put her empty glass down on the weathered coffee table in front of the chair.  
"I haven't had fresh milk in months, just that powdered stuff." Bex pulled a face at her admission. She had been brought up on the dairy farm and had always had fresh milk. Even when the world had gone to pot, her family had still had cold milk.  
"Perks of living on a farm I guess. I tried to show Katie how to milk a cow once; she almost threw up on poor Daisy." Bex grinned, trying to put Emily at ease, but her words had the opposite effect. Bex couldn't prove conclusively that she knew Katie any more than Naomi could.  
"Poor cow." Emily commented. Her attention was elsewhere as she craned her neck to look out of the living room window. Despite the early hour there were already people milling all over, going about their daily lives and ensuring the smooth running of the small dairy farm.  
"Daisy's my cousin." Bex admitted, which brought a genuine smile on Emily's lips. She could just imagine her twin reacting to been shown how to milk a cow by throwing up on some poor girl. "You know Katie was a lot like you when I first met her; she didn't trust anyone, except for Naomi of course, barely left her side for a second. I think she trusted her with her life, maybe even owed her it…Naomi's a good kid, you could do worse." The older woman wore a sad smile as she tried to talk Emily in to trusting Naomi. She really sounded like she believed what she was saying, but Emily couldn't share her faith in the younger blonde. She had lost her faith in humanity a long time ago.

"You care about her." It wasn't a question; Emily could see it in the other woman's eyes. Naomi meant a lot to her.  
"I used to think I had a pretty good chance with her." Bex admitted with a hint of bitterness creeping in to her voice. "Then I saw the way she looked at you yesterday…I can't compete with that."  
"I can't trust her." Emily sighed; the pain in her thigh wasn't the only thing bothering her. "If she's lying about Katie then she's lying about everything…I can't…I…I've lost too much already-" She fell silent as she heard a creak on the stairs. A few moments later Naomi walked in to the living room. Her eyes were red and framed by dark circles that seemed to be growing bigger with each passing day.  
"Hey." She greeted the other two girls and seemed to be feeling as awkward as Emily was. "How's the leg?"  
"Sore."

"I've given her some painkillers and antibiotics. We can spare a few more of each until you get back to the farm."  
"That's great, we've got plenty at home…Help yourself to whatever you want from the van in exchange." Naomi appeared to be off with Bex too. She stood by the door frame with her arms wrapped around herself, her eyes darting around the room.  
"We took a couple of cases of Jaeger already…Do you want some breakfast or something? We've got some fresh eggs…"  
"Uh, no, thanks. I just really want to get on the road. If you're up to it?" Her gaze finally settled on Emily as she checked the smaller girl was up to travelling. "We should only be in the van half an hour." Emily bit her lip as she nodded at the blonde. In thirty minutes she would know whether she could trust the other girl or not.

With Bex and Naomi's help Emily managed to get out of the house and in to the transit van. She sat with her back against the passenger door and her injured leg up on the seat as Naomi said goodbye to her friends. She shook Cole's hand and thanked him for his hospitality before turning to Bex. They shared an awkward embrace before Naomi pulled away and climbed in to the van. Emily tried to put her leg down but the pains piercing through her thigh were unbearable. "Here, scoot over." Naomi ushered her over and got the smaller girl to lean against her so that she could put her leg up on the seat with her foot pointing towards the passenger door. It was easier on Emily's leg and once she was comfortable Naomi slipped the van in to gear and headed home to the farm. She was eager to get back, to find out what had happened to Katie and Effy, and to prove to Emily that she was being honest with her.

The drive back was quiet and uncomfortable, as though Emily had slipped back in to her earlier distrust of the blonde, and Naomi felt a flood of relief when they finally slipped off the motorway and came across the side road that would lead to the farm. It was hard to make out the dirt road in the dim morning light, especially with the thick rain clouds looming overhead, so Naomi was grateful when she spotted the first few solar lights that lined the road up to the main house. She kept a watchful eye on the passing scenery, looking for any hint that something was amiss, but when she parked the van in front of the farm house everything looked exactly as it had done a few days earlier. The house was in darkness, which was also normal. JJ was usually the only one up before dawn to see to their small collection of animals. If the others were home they were all probably still sound asleep.

"Wait here." Naomi instructed, trying to keep her tone light as she pulled the keys out of the ignition and headed in to the house, leaving Emily still sitting in the van. She felt her chest tighten as she scanned the empty farmyard, looking for signs of an ambush or a double cross. She finally let out the breath she'd been holding as Naomi emerged from the house again, carrying a pair of crutches. They were the old fashioned wooden ones that rested uncomfortably under the armpit, but they took the pressure off Emily's thigh and helped her to move about more freely. She slowly followed Naomi in to the house, still keeping her guard up as she crossed over the threshold.

The farmhouse was dark with no electricity or lit candles to guide them and Emily bumped in to the junk littering the hallway. Thankfully the path cleared as they made their way in to the living room. The large family room was crammed with mismatched furniture and there were half burnt candles on every flat surface. The remains of a fire were still smouldering in the hearth, which was a reassuring sign that the farm hadn't been abandoned. Naomi crossed over to the fireplace and switched on the high-powered camping light that ran off batteries, illuminating the room in a cool blue light. Emily watched her every movement from where she sat on the sofa, still wary of an ambush. She offered her what she hoped would pass for a reassuring smile, but Naomi could feel her own panic bubbling up. Where was everyone? "Katie? Effy? Cook?" She left Emily in the living room as she went in search of the others. She carried on calling out to them all as she searched every room and came up with nothing. She had suspected that Cook and Effy would be out looking for her, and that Katie might have even talked them in to taking her with them, but they would never leave the farm uninhabited for fear of other survivors finding it. JJ at least would have stayed behind to look after the animals. She frowned as she picked up one of the radios from the arm of a recliner and tried to locate her missing friends. The radio crackled with static and not much else. She slumped down on to the sofa next to the other girl and sighed in to her hands.

"Ems, I don't know where everyone is, but I _promise _I never lied to you! They're probably all out looking for us, I can show you Katie's stuff and I'm sure JJ or Panda will be back soon and…Emily?" Naomi stopped rambling as she realised the other girl wasn't listening to a word she was saying. Her eyes were brimming with tears as she stared at the fireplace wall and Naomi felt her heart breaking. She didn't know what else she could say or do to try and prove she was being honest with her. "Emily?" She tried again, but the youngest twin's eyes were glued to the wall. Naomi couldn't understand what held her so transfixed, until she followed her gaze. An overwhelming sense of relief flooded through her and almost brought her to her knees. Turning on the camping light had illuminated the dozens and dozens of photographs glued to the chimney breast wall. They had found a few old instant Polaroid cameras on their earlier scavenger hunts and the wall was littered with photos of the gang. Emily's eyes were glued to a single picture in the centre. It had been taken in the kitchen when Katie had been baking one day. She stood sticking her tongue out at the camera, with flour all over her cheeks and in her hair. More importantly, Naomi sat behind her on the bench, equally covered in flour, with her arms wrapped around her neck as they both beamed at the camera.

"Emily…" Naomi wasn't quite sure what to say. _'I told you so'_ just didn't seem appropriate. It turned out she didn't _need _to say anything, after all if a picture was a worth a thousand words then the dozen images of Katie on the wall were a novel in themselves. Emily turned unexpectedly, as though a switch had suddenly been flicked in her brain. Though Katie wasn't actually at the farm, Naomi hadn't lied to the youngest twin and she wasn't going to betray her. Naomi was no longer an enemy. The blonde let out a startled gasp as Emily's lips found hers, but she didn't need much encouragement to return the kiss. Emily's arms wrapped around her neck as Naomi pulled her in closer and somehow the blonde ended up lying flat on her back with the smaller girl lying on top of her and her hands tangled in Emily's red locks. Naomi's hands slipped lower and caught Emily's thigh. The smaller girl hissed, but made no attempt to break their lips apart.  
"Fuck, sorry, are you ok?" Naomi asked breathlessly, her concern for the other girl winning out over her craving for her.  
"Fine…Doesn't matter." Emily replied as her lips found the column of Naomi's throat and her hand slid down to the hem of her borrowed trousers, where it hovered teasingly; and she was right. Right there and then Naomi could think of nothing that mattered more than how quickly she could get Emily's hand moving again.

They were so lost in each other that they didn't hear the car pulling up in front of the house; or the front door silently opening.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Sorry about the lack of updating again, usual excuses; work, girls, other stories.  
**

"Ems, wait!" Naomi wasn't sure where she got the strength to pull away from the redhead whose lips were all over her, but somehow she did. Something had unnerved her, and it had nothing to do with Emily's nimble fingers unbuttoning her shirt. The farmhouse was as silent as it had been when they'd first walked in, but something was different. Naomi felt Goosebumps on her bare chest where her shirt hung open and her mind somehow connected the gentle breeze to the open front door. They'd burst in to the house in a hurry, but Naomi had closed the door behind them; she was sure of it. "Get down, behind the sofa!" She hissed and helped Emily to lower herself to the ground; she lay on top of the little redhead, her ears straining to pick up on any sounds of movement in the quiet house.  
"There are easier ways to get on top of me." Emily grinned, though she had the sense to whisper in case there was something to the blonde's concern.

Naomi ignored her and silently reached down for the holster at her ankle. She'd foolishly left her gun in the van; she'd been in such a hurry to see her family again that she'd forgotten to pick it up off the dashboard. In a world that had gone to shit the farm had become a sanctuary of sorts and the relief of being home had blinded Naomi to the possibility that the chaos and the danger of the world outside could follow them back. It had been a stupid mistake; and one that would probably prove costly.

All of the guns were locked away in the walk in cupboard in the hall. Walking out there would leave her completely exposed if anyone was standing at the door. She gripped her knife in her right hand as she held a finger from her left up in front of her lips, indicating for Emily to keep quiet. The knife was a familiar weight in her hand and it gave her more comfort than it should have. A knife would be useless if whoever was creeping along the hallway had a gun. Naomi swallowed hard as she heard the tell-tale creak of the floorboard outside the open living room door. She kept down low, using the sofa to block her from sight. She leant down to kiss Emily again, just a quick peck to steady her nerves. "That door over there leads to the kitchen, the back door should be open, if not the key's on a hook beside it…when I move you run for the door and you don't look back." Her voice was shaking as she whispered in the other girl's ear. She knew it would be difficult for Emily to walk never mind run, but if Naomi could distract whoever was at the doorway then she could give Emily some time to get away.

The redhead started to object but she silenced her with another kiss. Her lips lingered for as long as she dared until she heard the click of a gun being cocked. She squeezed her eyes shut, knowing she didn't stand a chance; but Emily did. "Hide in the barn, I'll come find you." She whispered quickly, forcing a smile on to her trembling lips. She doubted she would ever walk out of the living room again if any of them men who were after Emily had found them. They had been through so much together in just a few days. Naomi was exhausted, both physically and mentally, and to have her happy ending with Emily snatched away after only five minutes was just another cruel stab of fate.

Readying herself she shifted to the side so that Emily could get to her knees, ready to make her getaway. She squeezed Naomi's hand and something in her expression told the blonde she wasn't going to head for the door. "Emily, please…for Katie." Emily's eyes began to water as her options sank in. Naomi's last words had done the trick. Crushing their lips together again Emily's voice was low and hoarse as she whispered three simple words in Naomi's ear; three words that made her chest swell and ache at the same time. She offered the other girl a crooked smile while her heart raced, threatening to explode from within her chest. They had barely known each other for four days, half of which they had spent pointing guns at each other, yet Naomi knew that Emily meant it. She wasn't just whispering words of comfort. They both felt it.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as Naomi choked back a sob. "I think I loved you before I even knew you." Before her words could sink in with the other girl Naomi was on her feet and diving towards the recliner by the window. "Come on then!" She screamed, hoping she was drawing attention away from Emily. A shot rang out overhead, taking a chunk out of the chimney breast on the back wall. Naomi's grip tightened on the knife as her eyes found Emily still crouching where she had left her. She either couldn't move, or wouldn't. Naomi cursed her stubbornness. There was just no telling a Fitch what to do.  
"Fuck…fuck…Mother fucker!" Naomi did the only thing she could and dived up from her hiding place behind the recliner, the knife was raised above her head and the need to protect Emily had overridden every other sense in her body.

She surged forward, expecting to hear the boom of a shot and feel the pain of a bullet ripping through her chest; but neither came. "Charming, Blondie!" The knife dropped from her hand as her blind rage died and was replaced by overwhelming relief as she found Cook standing at the door. She shot forward and practically jumped on her best friend. He had been the one to find her sitting by her mother's body, it seemed an eternity ago, but Cook had never left her side. He was like the big brother she had never had. "Whoa, I remember the last time you jumped me babe, interesting night." He chuckled as his big broad arms wrapped around her.  
"I was sixteen and mortal!" Naomi snapped, momentarily forgetting she had just almost sacrificed herself to save Emily. "And someone couldn't get it up." She laughed as she punched him in the shoulder.

Emily cleared her throat to get their attention as her head popped up from behind the sofa. "Uh, hi."  
"Oh, shit, Cook this is Emily. Emily this is James Cook, my best friend who is a lousy shot!" Naomi grinned. Her fatigue and relief had blended together in to a potent mix, making her almost giddy. She picked up Emily's crutches from the floor and helped the little redhead back on to the sofa while Cook inspected the bullet hole he'd put in the wall.  
"Luck for you! I could have fucking killed you, babes!"  
"Yeah right." Naomi scoffed. "You couldn't hit a fucking elephant if it was sitting on your face!"

"Cook?" Effy cautiously shouted from the front door as she heard him cackling. She was waiting outside with a shotgun as his back up. When they'd pulled up at the house and found a strange van parked outside they'd instantly been on the defensive. They'd picked up JJ and Panda in one of the top fields near the road, where JJ had been testing the soil for planting a new crop of potatoes, and neither had seen Naomi so they'd known the van had to belong to someone else.  
"It's ok Eff! It's Naomi!" He shouted back to her and within seconds Katie was running through the door. She almost knocked Naomi off her feet as she crashed in to her, wrapping her arms around her and burying her face in her shoulder.  
"Don't ever fucking leave me like that again!" There were tears running down her cheeks and Naomi felt her own eyes welling up again as she held the smaller girl tight.  
"I won't. I'm sorry…peace offering?" Naomi grinned as she stepped back and pointed to Emily sitting stock still on the sofa.

Her eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open at the sight of her twin. Even seeing the photographs of Katie alive hadn't prepared her for seeing her in the flesh again. "Ems…" Since Emily couldn't close the distance between them herself it was Katie who rushed over to her. The air seemed to have been sucked out of the room as Cook and Naomi watched the two sisters embracing. It felt more than a little awkward as they both burst out crying, in near hysterics as they desperately tried to apologise to each other for leaving.  
"I thought you were dead…"  
"I couldn't find a pulse, I'm so sorry…."  
"I would have never left if I knew you were alive…"  
"I should have never left…"  
"What happened to your leg?"

Effy and Freddie followed Katie in, holding up a still limping Thomas as he leant on them for support. Naomi rushed to Thomas and hugged him tightly, apologising as he winced in pain. He'd taken a pretty bad beating and Naomi knew she was responsible for it. She would never have gotten away from the camp had Thomas not helped her. JJ followed them in and was carrying Effy's shotgun. Naomi instantly prayed the safety was on. JJ and guns weren't a good mix. Panda was behind them and she frowned at the two girls on the sofa. "Blooming heck! They look like twins!"  
"They are twins Panda." Effy rolled her eyes, but there was a genuine smile on her lips as Katie finally looked up from Emily and sought her out. She held on to Emily's hand, like she was afraid she would lose her again if they lost contact for a second.  
"Ems, you already know Naomi and Thomas. Well this is Cook, Panda, JJ and Effy…our family."  
"Welcome to the family Emilio." Cook grinned at the still silent redhead as she took in the bunch of strangers that had adopted her sister as one of their own. "Right, now that the touchy feely stuff is out of the way, anyone else notice the shit load of booze in the back of that van?"

If there was one thing Cook was good at it was throwing a party. Despite it not even being noon he cracked open a case of champagne and put a new set of batteries in the CD player, cracking the volume up as far as it would go. Emily and Katie sat curled up on the sofa whilst Katie introduced her to Effy properly. The others were all crowded around Emily too, wanting to hear all about what she had been through and why there was a bounty on her head. Naomi felt utterly spent and after swiping a bottle of Jack Daniels from the back of the van she made her way upstairs to the room she shared with Katie and collapsed on her bed. She wanted nothing more than to curl up and go to sleep. She would have preferred to finish what she and Emily had started on the sofa earlier, but somehow she didn't see that happening. There was little chance of Katie leaving her sister's side long enough for Naomi to even propose the idea.

Trudging in to the bathroom she locked the door behind her and peeled her borrowed clothes off. She filled the sink with a bottle of still mineral water and used the pink washcloth on the side of the bath to wash herself down. The water was icy cold and Naomi had never missed hot water so much in her life. She quickly washed her body down, her hair would have to wait until she could heat some water on the stove, and wrapped one of the big fluffy towels around herself before making her way back in to her room. She was surprised to find Effy sitting on her bed. Her expression seemed serious as she stared the blonde down. "They'll come after her. After all of us."  
"Let them come." Naomi sighed as she pulled a pair of sweatpants on under the towel. "Nobody fucks with my family."

Effy smirked, pleased by her response. "On a more serious note, what are we going to do with the sleeping arrangements?" Naomi hadn't really put much thought in to who would sleep where. She'd spent the better part of a week searching for Emily Fitch and then trying to get her back to the farm, where she would sleep when she got there had not been high on her list of priorities.  
"I guess she'll probably want to sleep in here with Katie." She would be happy to offer Emily her bed to share, but she wasn't quite sure where they stood and she knew the twins would want some time alone together. "I'll set up one of the camp beds in your room."  
"We could always get double beds for in here. You and Emily in one, me and Katie in the other? We could even switch every now and then, mix it up a little?" Effy winked at her and it was hard to tell if she was kidding or not.

"How's that going anyway? You and Katie?" Naomi quizzed, choosing to ignore her bed hopping suggestion as she slipped on one of her warmer jumpers. It was big and baggy and might have belonged to Cook at some point.  
"She's still getting over the whole straight thing." Effy shrugged as she picked at the crochet blanket on top of Naomi's bed. "I take it from your half-dressed state when we walked in that you and Emily are getting along just fine?" Her usual superior smirk sat on her lips as she watched the blonde blush. She had hoped no one had noticed her hastily doing up the buttons of her shirt while the twins had had their moment. A small smile slipped on to Naomi's lips as she thought of just how well she and Emily were getting on. They had been growing closer with each passing day and now that they were finally home Naomi was sure that the other girl would start to trust her. It would take time; Emily Fitch had been through a lot in the six months since the old world had ended, but with her sister by her side and the safety of the farm, hopefully she would blossom just as Katie had.

"Good." Naomi nodded as she bit her lip, thinking about just what would have happened between the two of them if the others had arrived home an hour later. Hell, she would have settled for ten minutes. There would be no chance of getting any time alone with Emily. She and Katie would be understandably inseparable for a while. "I'll set up a bed in JJ's room for Thomas, and the twins can have this room. I'll take the sofa or something...I just need an hour." Naomi felt herself easily slipping back in to her role as head of the house as she organised the sleeping arrangements. She had been looking forward to sleeping in her own bed again, but she would have to give it up for Emily. She felt utterly drained and as much as she had missed the others she just needed an hour's sleep in her bed. Effy left her to it and went back downstairs to join the others.

She found Katie still clutching her sister and she felt the same unease as Naomi had. With Emily back in the picture it was difficult for Effy to know where she stood with the older twin. She had slowly worked on winning the smaller girl over for months and she felt at a loss as she hovered by the door holding an open bottle of beer. She didn't want to intrude on the twins and their reunion. Katie caught her eye though and ushered her over with a gesture of her hand and a warm smile. She had never seen the other girl's eyes looking so alive as she made her way over to her. Effy knew she wasn't the cause, but it was still nice to witness. "Ems, this is Effy." Katie beamed up at the taller girl as she shook her sister's hand. The two girls exchanged the usual pleasantries, despite meeting under unusual circumstances, and Effy was happy to feel Katie's hand slipping through hers as she chatted to Emily. The youngest twin seemed distracted as she kept glancing at the door; obviously looking for Naomi.

She shared some of her story with them, from waking up and finding Katie missing six months earlier, to travelling towards Bristol looking for her aunt and her cousins. "They're dead too." She mumbled as Katie questioned whether she'd found them or not. Katie had been travelling to Bristol for the same reason when she had been picked up from the side of the road by the twisted brothers who had abducted her. She hung her head as Emily confirmed what she had suspected all along. They had all lost so many people that it was easier to presume all of their loved ones were dead. Hope had no place in the new world they had found themselves thrown in to after the outbreak. The twins' parents had hoped for a cure and they had died in their beds, just like the rest of the world. "The city was really bad, people just turned on each other…killing over a bottle of water. I left and started travelling around. Didn't really have anywhere to go, then I found Henham Hall. It was amazing. They're a totally self-sufficient community with running water, generators, miles of farm land…I thought it was paradise…then I found out what Minhas was really like. He shot dead this little kid for stealing some food from the farm…he was barely older than James…" The redhead began to choke up again as she spoke about what she had been through. Katie was stoically silent for a change. She wasn't about to burden Emily with what she had been through.  
"You're safe here." Effy squeezed Katie's hand as she spoke to the Emily, reassuring them both. "We're not Henham, but we do have fields for growing crops, a stream for fresh water, even some chickens." She grinned as Emily managed a meek smile. The youngest twin was slowly but surely coming out of her shell as she got to know the girl whose hand her supposedly straight sister was holding on to like it was her lifeline.

When Naomi had told her about Effy she had been doubtful about Katie liking a girl that way. She hadn't wanted to let herself believe anything Naomi was saying about Katie being alive, but that bit had struck her as the most unbelievable. If she hadn't seen the way her sister was looking at Effy with her own eyes then she would never have believed that Katie could be in to a girl. The world really had changed.

Emily shifted uncomfortably on the sofa; her leg was beginning to ache as the painkillers Bex had given her earlier had worn off. She'd initially been shocked to see her sister alive again and exhilarated to find herself thrust among a new group of people, but after hours of making polite conversation with the strangers she just felt sore and tired. She was missing Naomi too. After almost four days of having the blonde constantly by her side it was strange to be without her. She'd slipped off upstairs earlier and hadn't come back down. "Hey Katie, can I borrow some clothes?" She knew Naomi shared a room with her sister and changing out of the clothes she'd taken from the hotel was a good excuse for Emily to go upstairs to check on her.  
"Of course babes, I'll show you my room-" Katie started but Effy cut her off.  
"It's the door furthest on the left upstairs. Naomi's sleeping so try not to wake her, yeah?" Effy was smirking at her and Emily knew she saw right through her. She felt her cheeks going red as she bit back a grin of her own. She had a feeling she would get on just fine with Effy.  
"I'll try my best."

"I can help you upstairs?" Katie still hadn't clicked that her sister just wanted to go and see Naomi. Emily brushed her off as she picked up her crutches.  
"I'll be fine, honest. I just need some clothes that fit." The twins had always shared each other's clothes over the years and had even grown up wearing identical outfits until they'd been old enough to protest that it was a form of child cruelty, and not 'cute' as their mother had thought. She slowly made her way on her crutches towards the living room door and stopped by the recliner that Thomas was perched in. Panda was sitting on the arm of the chair, doting over her newly returned boyfriend. His left eye was still swollen shut and there were numerous cuts and bruises on his arms and face that made Emily feel immeasurably guilty. He'd been beaten for helping her and Naomi escape; even though at the time Emily hadn't realised she'd needed his help. She'd been angry with him when she'd first found out he had lied about knowing Naomi, but he was partly responsible for getting Emily back to her sister and she could never thank him enough.  
"Thomas, I'm so sorry." They both moved slowly and gingerly as they hugged. "Thank you so much."  
"You do not need to thank me, Emily. It is reward enough to see you happy." He beamed up at her. He was a gentle giant with a heart of gold and had been like a big brother at the camp, always looking out for her and taking care of her. "And to be back with Panda, of course." He pecked the bubbly blonde on the cheek and her grin was as wide as his. They made a cute couple.

Breaking away from the pair she finally got out of the living room and slowly tackled the mountain of stairs that led up to the bedrooms. She found the room Katie and Naomi shared easily enough, the door was open and she spotted the blonde sleeping in the single bed on the far side of the room. Gently closing the door behind her she limped over to the bed and placed her crutches on the floor as she slipped under the covers behind the sleeping girl. She had spent three nights sleeping beside Naomi and it felt safe and familiar to wrap her arms around the other girl as she nuzzled in to her neck. "Naomi…" She whispered her name and the blonde shot up.  
"What's wrong?" Her eyes were wild and unfocused as she scanned the room looking for signs of danger.

"Nothing." Emily soothed as her lips found Naomi's and she shifted so that she was lying half over her and could easily guide her back down on to the bed. Naomi was still half asleep, but her lips were on autopilot as they eagerly responded to the redhead. Her body began to wake up as her hands tangled in Emily's fiery red locks, pulling her in closer against her. "Everything's fine."


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, just haven't been able to write for anything lately. Hopefully a chapter chock full of Naomily goodness makes up for my atrocious updating? And if not, well there's some Keffy goodness thrown in for good measure :) Once again a big thanks to everyone who's reading and for all the awesome feedback that helps get me writing again when I hit a block. **

Naomi's hands were shaking as they pushed Emily's shirt up. She had been asleep when the smaller girl had climbed in to bed with her, but she was very much awake as she helped the redhead pull the shirt up over her head. She tossed it aside, letting it fall on to the floor to join the mess of clothes that were already there from when Naomi had stripped off for bed. She hated to sleep with anything on, and after days of going to bed fully clothed it had been nice to climb naked under the covers of her own bed. Her bare skin was warm and flushed from sleeping and having Emily's hands and lips roaming over it wasn't helping the blonde to cool down any. "You're wearing too many clothes." She grumbled as she struggled with the clasp on the other girl's bra. Despite wearing a bra herself she was far from a natural at removing them. It wasn't just guys who struggled with the stupid little clasps and her shaking hands weren't helping matters much.

"Having trouble there Naoms?" Emily's throaty chuckle left the blonde blushing as she continued to fumble over the clasp. She could have removed her own no problem, but trying to undo another girl's was a nightmare. With her lips locked on to Emily's she couldn't see what she was doing and she was terrified of making an arse of herself. Even before the world had ended it had been a long time since she had been with anybody and she suddenly felt self-conscious. Katie had painted Emily as something of a player, she had probably been with countless girls, whereas Naomi had only ever been with two; and one of those had been little more than a drunken fumble in the back of a club with Cook's cousin. Not that she had ever admitted that to Cook.

It had been her first time and she'd been so nervous that it had taken half a bottle of vodka for her to pluck up the courage just to kiss the other girl. They hadn't done much; just what Naomi's mother would have embarrassingly termed as 'heavy petting'. She only really had experience with one girl from college. They'd had a sort of friends with benefits thing going on for a while, though the girl had wanted to make things more official, Naomi hadn't been ready to have a 'girlfriend'. She'd struggled with her sexuality during her early teens and when she'd finally accepted that she was in to women the world had went and ended, which somewhat limited her chances of meeting a girl she wanted to have sex with.

But then she'd went and found Emily and she _really _wanted her; but the damn bra wouldn't budge and the tiny problem was snowballing her anxiety in to full blown panic. "Let me." Emily laughed again, though it wasn't condescending. She took over from the blonde and undid the clasp on her bra without a hitch. Naomi couldn't help but stare. Despite their small stature both twins had been blessed with a sizeable chest; not that she'd deliberately stared at Katie's rack or anything, but after months of sharing a room she'd seen pretty much_ all _of Katie. Where she had never taken that much notice of the older twin's body, Emily's certainly had her attention. "You just going to lie there staring all night?" Emily teased, some of the cocksure attitude that she'd first held when they'd met returning.

Naomi felt her own confidence rising as she leant in to kiss the smaller girl again; though this time it wasn't her lips that she kissed. Emily gasped as the blonde's teeth scraped over one of her nipples and the contented little noise surged Naomi on. She gently pushed Emily down so that she was lying over her and used her hand to give her other breast some attention. Emily's hips bucked up against her and the fabric of her jeans rubbing against Naomi's bare thighs reminded her that she was still unfairly disadvantaged in the clothes department. Scooting down the bed she kissed her way down Emily's flat stomach and came to a stop at the waistband of her jeans. "Need a hand-" Emily started to tease, but her voice cut off as Naomi deftly undid the buttons and pressed a kiss to her hip. Thankfully her fingers had stopped shaking and she'd been able to undo the buttons without any help. She carried on kissing the smaller girl's hip, growing closer and closer to her centre, but even with the buttons undone the jeans still stopped the blonde from reaching where she wanted to go.

Using both hands she slipped the pants down her thighs, but she moved slowly as she reached the bulky bandage that was covering Emily's injured leg. With Emily's help she slipped the other leg out first and then carefully tried to pull the material away from her bad leg. The smaller girl hissed in pain and Naomi instantly stopped what she was doing. "Oh fuck, are you ok? We don't have to, you know…we can wait till your leg's better-" Emily cut her off with a kiss as she sat up and tugged her jeans all the way off, ignoring the stabbing pain coming from her leg.  
"Naomi, I've wanted to fuck you since I tackled you in the woods." Emily's voice was hoarse as she slipped a hand between their two bodies, and it was Naomi's turn to gasp. All thoughts of foreplay went out the window as two of Emily's fingers slipped inside of the blonde. They were both exhausted and as much as Naomi would have liked to stay up all night, exploring every inch of the little redhead's body, neither of them had the energy for that. So she let Emily reverse their positions and lay on her back as the smaller girl straddled her hips and took the lead. She seemed to know exactly what she was doing anyway.

Downstairs the party had started to wind down and with Effy outside, smoking with Cook, Katie was fighting to keep her eyes open on the sofa. Effy had been gone a good fifteen minutes and the oldest twin didn't feel like going out in the cold to find her, so she decided to call it a night, figuring Effy would know where to find her if she wanted to say goodnight to her. She said goodnight to the others, though JJ was already curled up asleep in a chair and Thomas and Panda were too interested in each other to notice. She'd barely put her foot on the first stair when she felt Effy's arms slip around her waist and her lips press against her neck. Her eyes closed at the touch and she turned her head to catch the other girl's lips. She'd never really thought about going with a girl, but kissing Effy felt as natural as breathing; she wasn't ready to read too much in to that though. "Panda and Thomas are sleeping in JJ's room tonight, so if you want to stay in my room?" She tried to sound casual as she asked, but the closer they had grown over the last couple of weeks the more Katie had started to see through her cool as ice façade. She was scared of being rejected and was trying to tread carefully around the oldest twin.

"I really want to be with Ems tonight." Katie tried to be tactful about turning down her offer, but they both knew that it wasn't just about Emily. She was still wary of committing herself to anything with the other girl.  
"Of course." Effy managed a smile, but it didn't quite reach her eyes as she kissed the smaller girl's cheek. "See you in the morning." Removing her arms from around Katie's waist she made her way back in to the living room, picking up a bottle of something from the table in the hall. Katie felt like a bitch for knocking her back when Effy had done so much for her, but she just wasn't ready to be with her like that. The kissing was nice, it was great even, Effy was a good kisser and kissing her was certainly better than kissing half of the blokes Katie had been with in the past, but the thought of having sex with a girl still freaked the oldest twin out a little.

So walking in on her sister and her best friend didn't help.

"Jesus Christ!" She did a U-turn back out the door as Emily shrieked and Naomi scrambled to pull the covers over them. She waited outside the door and after a minute Naomi emerged, thankfully covered by a baggy t-shirt. Her cheeks were scarlet and she could barely look Katie in the eye.  
"I'm so sorry Kay-"  
"That's my fucking sister in there Campbell!" Katie snapped, and instantly regretted her choice of words as Naomi fought back a smirk. She rolled her eyes at the blonde. She had known the two would get along and she was happy that she'd been right; she just wished she didn't have to see it with her own eyes. "Next time hang a sock on the door handle or something." She grumbled and the blonde beamed at her.  
"Thanks, Katie." She kissed her cheek and then went to go back inside. She paused and shot her roommate a timid smile. "Any chance we could have like ten minutes? Five even?" She added as Katie narrowed her eyes on her.  
"I'll sleep somewhere else tonight…but tomorrow we're working out the sleeping arrangements!"

Katie left Naomi to back in to the room they shared and instead went across the landing to Effy's room. The other girl was still downstairs so she changed out of her clothes and pulled on one of Effy's T-shirts to sleep in before she slipped under the covers of the double bed. She wasn't alone for long as the door opened and Effy stumbled inside. If she was surprised to find Katie in her bed then she didn't show it. She stripped down and climbed under the duvet. She cuddled in to the smaller girl as she had the previous few nights. "Thought you were staying with Emily tonight?" She grumbled in to the back of her neck.  
"She's staying with Naomi." Katie huffed back as she shuffled to get comfy again. "I just walked in them." She heard Effy stifling a laugh in to her hair and scowled. "It wasn't fucking funny Eff! I did not need to see what they were doing!"  
"Don't knock it till you've tried it." Effy purred in her ear and pressed her lips to her neck; the smaller girl didn't move a muscle as she lay biting her lip and staring at a spot on the wall. Then Effy's hands started moving down her stomach.

"Please don't." Her voice was choked and there were tears brimming in her eyes as she pushed Effy away from her and rolled over to bury her face in the pillow.  
"Kay, I'm sorry." Effy reached out to put a hand on the other girl's back put pulled away as she flinched again at her touch.  
"It's not you…it's…" She took a deep breath, her lips trembling as she tried to form the words to tell Effy what was really wrong; but she couldn't. She just couldn't tell her why she flinched at being touched so intimately. She couldn't tell her that lying there in the warm comfortable bed, somewhere she should have felt secure, she could practically smell the forest and taste cheap cologne at the back of her throat. She should have felt safe with Effy, but after her ordeal in the forest at the hands of the two brothers who had taken her she no longer felt safe anywhere. One of them was still alive out there somewhere and that still haunted her every waking minute.  
"It's ok." Effy sighed, and on some level she had always known that something terrible had happened to the oldest twin, something she had only ever been able to share with Naomi. The blonde had come back from foraging that day with a hard look in her eye and had lied to them all about finding Katie alone in the woods. Effy had been able to use her imagination as well as what little Katie had told her to piece together an idea of what she thought had happened to her in those woods, but the other girl had never offered to tell her the full story of what had happened to her when the brothers had taken her.  
"No, it's not." Katie choked out as she finally looked up at Effy. Her eyes were wide and red and there were tears streaming down her cheeks. "He's still out there and I can still _smell _him Effy! I close my eyes and I see him standing over me, feel his hands on me-"

Effy felt a lump forming in her throat as her suspicions were confirmed and she pulled the smaller girl against her chest as she cradled her. They sat there for a while as Katie sobbed in to her shoulder and Effy stroked her hair. She waited until Katie stopped crying and then carefully pressed her lips to the other girl's cheek, as though she were made of porcelain and could break at the slightest touch. "No one will ever touch you again, Katie. Not if you don't want them to."  
"I want you to…I….I want _you…_I just…" Her eyes were filling up again as she stumbled over her words, her slight lisp growing stronger from her distress.  
"I know." Effy held on to her as she laid them both down and pulled the covers over them. She pressed another kiss to Katie's cheek, closing her eyes so her own tears wouldn't spill. She had to be strong enough for both of them. "I can wait."

* * *

When Naomi woke in the middle of the night, naked as the day she was born and with Emily wrapped around her like a blanket, she was more than content. Katie walking in on them had made things a little awkward, but luckily they'd both been able to laugh it off and carry on; which was lucky because Naomi was pretty sure she would have exploded if she hadn't finally gotten her release. They'd both been exhausted and had fallen asleep together curled up under the thick duvet of Naomi's bed. The heavy blanket was stifling the blonde though and she felt uncomfortably overheated with Emily lying over her; there wasn't exactly much space in the single bed.

Her skin felt hot and clammy and she felt a headache building from behind her left eye. Despite her earlier nap she still felt tired and run down, but her headache was turning in to a migraine and she couldn't get back to sleep no matter how tired she was. Slipping out from under Emily she tossed the blanket back over her and pulled on some shorts and a light T-shirt before tiptoeing out of the room she usually shared with Katie. The older twin had kept her word and hadn't returned to the room. She was probably with Effy, but Naomi felt the need to check on her anyway. Sure enough when she peeked in to Effy's room she found Katie in bed with her. Checking on Katie had almost become a way of life and she felt more at ease than she had in days, knowing that both twins were safe and close by.

She made her way downstairs, carefully manoeuvring them in the thick darkness that blanketed the farm house. It was a trip she was used to making though and even in her tired state she managed it without mishap. She paused just outside the kitchen door as she saw shadows dancing on the walls from the flickering candle sitting in the middle of the small kitchen table. "Can't sleep?" She stepped in to the small pool of light and watched as Cook looked up from the table at her. His eyes were glassy and unfocused and he was clutching a bottle of bourbon. He smiled at her, one of his big goofy grins, and offered the bottle he was cradling. She shook her head as she slipped past him and took a bottle of water out of the fridge. It was room temperature of course, since there hadn't been any electricity in months, but she supposed they just kept the bottles in there out of habit; or maybe it was a need for some sense of normality in a world that had gone to shit.  
"Making the most of the party, it'll be business as usual tomorrow, yeah? Foraging, getting ready for the winter…" He trailed off as he raised the bottle to his lips, which took more effort than it would have had he been sober. Naomi fished out a packet or aspirin from one of the kitchen cupboards and cut the small white tablet in half using one of the knives sitting on the draining board by the sink. Medicine was in short supply and she didn't want to waste what little they had.

"I think we've earn ourselves a day off." She smiled at him as she sat in the empty chair opposite him and sipped at her water. She hoped her fatigue was just the previous week catching up on her, but she hadn't felt right since getting caught in the rain. Her throat ached, her head throbbed and she felt like she was once again coming down with something. She couldn't afford to be ill. Cook was right, they needed to get back on schedule preparing for the winter; but at the same time she knew that none of the group would be in a fit state for foraging in the morning, and she needed a day or two herself to try and recover, so she didn't see the harm in having one more day off.  
"Bloody hell, you've chilled out haven't you? Usually it's all 'we need supplies, we need to stock up, we're low on water'…you need to get laid more often, Blondie." He smirked as she rolled her eyes at him. He knew exactly why the two girls had disappeared early from the party. Despite feeling like crap and not appreciating his teasing, Naomi managed a weak smile back at him.  
"We've spent the last six months surviving Cook; maybe it's time we started _living _again."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Sorry for the two month delay guys, I managed to get myself a chest infection that lasted from Halloween to Christmas and I just haven't been able to write much. Not 100% happy with this chapter, probably because it took me so long to finally get down. Hopefully I'll be back on track with regular updates.  
**

"Good morning, sexy." Katie grinned as she walked in to the kitchen with Effy's dressing gown wrapped around her and placed a kiss on Naomi's cheek. Cook had finally called it a night somewhere around dawn, leaving the blonde sitting alone at the kitchen table. Her head still ached and her chest felt tight and dry.  
"You're in a good mood." She smiled despite feeling like crap. She had never seen Katie looking so carefree as she filled up a pan full of water and placed it over the camping stove they had sitting on the bench to make coffee.  
"I am." She agreed as she pulled four cups out of the cupboard. "But if I ever walk in on you and my sister naked again I'll kick both your arses." She was still grinning as she threatened her.  
"Bring it, Fitch." Naomi laughed, but a coughing fit interrupted her. She covered her hand with her mouth as she carried on coughing, feeling close to bringing up a lung.

"You ok?" Katie frowned as she abandoned the coffee and walked over to the blonde, scrutinizing her sharply as she placed a hand against her forehead. "You're burning up!"  
"I'm fine." Naomi lied, though even as she choked the words out she heard her own chest rattling. She picked up the glass in front of her and took a few small sips to stop the coughing, but the neat whisky only served to burn her throat and the coughing started up again. "It's just a cold!" She insisted as Katie fussed over her, fetching her a glass of water and some painkillers.  
"Well sitting in this damp kitchen isn't going to help! Get back to bed, and take this up to Emily. She's a bitch in the morning without coffee." Katie picked up two of the cups of freshly made coffee and handed them to the blonde.  
"How am I going to cope with _two _of you?" The blonde let out an exaggerated sigh as she took hold of the cups.  
"Hey, Emily just looks like me. I'm one of a kind, bitch."  
"Thank god for small mercies." Naomi smirked, earning a playful slap from the other girl. It felt good to be back home, surrounded by the friends who had become her surrogate family in the wake of the world ending; and it felt great to just goof around with Katie. There were no missing sisters to track down or armed men to evade, just two friends taking the piss out of each other as they made their way out of the kitchen carrying steaming hot cups of coffee. She was glad she had decided they could take another day off from preparing for the coming winter. They all needed a day to just catch their breaths and to enjoy what was left of the sunshine.

While Katie disappeared in to the living room with her and Effy's coffee, Naomi made her way upstairs and manoeuvred her two cups in to one hand to push open her own bedroom door. She stood smiling like a loon as she found Emily still sound asleep, wrapped up under Naomi's duvet with an arm still wrapped around the pillow that lay where Naomi herself should have been still lying beside her. "Close the door, you're letting a draft in." The little redhead's lips curled in to a smile as she grumbled and the blonde took in a sharp breath.  
"Jesus, do you actually sleep with one eye open?" She quizzed as she made her way in to the room and Emily rolled over to face her. The younger twin never seemed to switch off.  
"I actually had the best sleep I've had in ages last night." She shot her a coy smile as she stretched out, reminding Naomi that she was wearing little more than one of the blonde's t-shirts.  
"Really? Wonder why that was?" She grinned as she climbed back in to bed beside her. It felt easy, like they'd known each other for years rather than days.  
"Hmm…I wonder." Emily giggled as Naomi pulled her in close and planted a kiss on her lips. She frowned as she felt how hot the blonde's cheek felt pressed against her own. Taking her hand she pressed it to Naomi's forehead and her frown deepened. "Babe, you're really hot-"  
"You're not too bad yourself." Naomi teased, trying to lean in for another kiss to distract the smaller girl that was lying on top of her.

"I'm serious, you're burning up! Have you taken anything? I've got a couple of antibiotics left-" She rolled over to pick up the little plastic tablet bottle, wincing as the stitches in her leg pulled on the tender skin.  
"No." Naomi refused the offered pills and put the bottle back down on the nightstand. "You need them more than I do; it's just a stupid cold."  
"That's what my mum said." Emily replied quietly, her mind a million miles away, lost in memories of a seasonally warm March morning when the outbreak that had ended the world had still been known as European flu and her mother had laughed off her fever and runny nose as a 'stupid cold'. Naomi felt a pang in her chest as she took in the smaller girl's trembling lip. She looked so much younger sitting there in one of Naomi's baggy T-shirts, the muck and grime from the forest washed away along with her attitude, leaving a scared seventeen year old kid in its place.  
"Ems…we survived. For whatever reason, we didn't catch the virus. The thing that took away our families and our friends…it's gone. We don't need to worry about it. It really is just a stupid cold."

"There've been outbreaks reported. They've closed some trading posts." Emily didn't share the other girl's certainty that the virus was gone. False hope was a dangerous thing and not something she could afford to invest in; part of her was already waiting for the cosy little farm life she'd landed herself with to be taken away. She'd thought she'd found a home once before, with Minhas and his daughter at Henham Hall; but then she'd seen Henham and Minhas for what they really were. Emily had grown all too used to losing things, especially people. Spotting the doubt on her face Naomi lifted up her arm, revealing smooth tanned flesh free from any marks.  
"No lumps. It's not the virus Emily…just a cold, ok?" Small, dark, painful lumps under the arms had been an early indication of the infection. They usually appeared after a couple of days of the usual flu symptoms. Emily unconsciously rubbed at her armpit, unnoticed by the blonde.  
"Ok." She nodded, relenting a little as she scooted over to the blonde and cuddled in beside her, resting her head on her chest. "But it could still be a chest infection, or pneumonia or something. We're getting you some antibiotics!"  
"Later." Naomi objected, quickly cutting off the redhead's objections as she kissed her again. "I want to make the most of my day off."

Downstairs in the living room Effy and Katie were curled up on the sofa, enjoying the peace and quiet with everyone else still in their rooms. JJ was out feeding the cattle and the goats, but everyone else was still tucked up in bed, asleep or nursing their hangovers. Effy had a sizeable hangover of her own, but Katie's coffee was seeing to it. The older twin was spread across the sofa, her head on Effy's lap as she read a magazine. Her attention was glued to the glossy rag full of gossip and scandal, though Effy wasn't quite sure how a magazine that was almost nine months old could be that interesting. Nearly everyone in it, from the celebrities to the columnists, would be dead by now. The magazine was well read and just one of a whole pile that Katie kept for herself to read whilst the others were out scavenging. Effy supposed it was her escape of sorts; the other girl could bury her head in a magazine for an hour and pretend like the world had never changed; like she was still a carefree teenager whose biggest concern was what shoes were in fashion.

"Katie?" Effy prodded her in the side to get her attention and the smaller girl giggled as she rolled on to her back to look up at her.  
"Effy?" She was smiling; her eyes wide and full of mirth. She looked happy, content even. It was a good look for her. Naomi had given them all one last day of slacking off before they had to return to their usual stocking up for winter routine. Effy intended to use it to keep that smile on Katie's lips a little longer.  
"Let's go out."  
"Sure, want to go shopping, or go catch a film?" Katie scoffed as she tossed the magazine aside, giving the other girl her full attention. "There's nowhere to go Eff, besides Naomi would freak if we left the farm-"  
"Naomi gave us the day off, she didn't say we had to spend it here…besides, I have a feeling she and Emily aren't coming out of that room any time soon."

"Fine." Katie huffed. She'd hoped to have some time with Emily, but Effy was right, she and Naomi would probably be spending the day together. Katie would have to wait; a small smile touched her lips as she realised they had the rest of their lives to catch up. "So where are we going?" She quizzed as they peeled themselves off the sofa.  
"Trust me." Effy winked at her, offering her no answer to her question as she scribbled a quick note for Naomi and the others. She let Effy take her hand and followed her outside in to the yard. They kept their fingers laced together as they walked down to one of the barns. They had amassed a small collection of vehicles during their scavenging, though they seldom used them anymore since fuel was running short. She led Katie over to the far corner of the barn, where a white dust sheet covered her pride and joy. She pulled it off, revealing the sleek black curves of her motorcycle.

"I'm not getting on that thing!" Katie scowled as she crossed her arms over her chest and stamped her foot. Effy laughed as she reclaimed her hand and tugged her towards the bike. "I'm serious Ef! It's a death trap!"  
"Katie, you survived a plague that wiped out most of humanity…what's the point in being alive if you don't _live _a little? Come on…trust me." She climbed on to the bike and held out her hand for the smaller girl. Katie stood her ground, glaring at the bike like it had personally offended her.  
"Where are we going?" She finally relented as she slipped on to the bike behind Effy, her arms wrapping tightly around her waist. She was willing to trust her, but she needed some answers in return.

"The beach." Effy replied, like it was a perfectly normal place to suggest. Katie stared at her like she'd grown a second head.  
"The beach? It's almost October!"  
"Trust me." Effy laughed again as she kick-started the bike, the engine roaring in to life like a waking lion. Katie hated motorbikes. Her dad had gotten one a few years back, as part of his mid-life crisis, and he'd tried taking her out riding with him. She had been terrified at the thought of falling off. Emily had loved it though, the speed and the thrill; she'd saved up all through college for a bike of her own. Katie clung to Effy even tighter, trying to quell the panic that was rising up in her.  
"I do." She buried her face in the other girl's back; trusting her not to let her fall.

The nearest thing to a beach was Redcliffe Bay, a strip of rocky cliffs and gravelly sand just south of the city. The wind coming in from the Bristol Channel was strong and cold, Katie was almost frozen solid by the time Effy pulled up in the tiny car park just metres from the edge of the cliff. She dropped her hands to her waist, covering Katie's.  
"So, what do we do first?" Katie sighed, her chin resting on Effy's shoulder as she started out across the bay. The sky was overcast with thick grey clouds that were threatening to open up over their heads. "Go for a dip or find an ice cream truck?"  
"Sandcastles." Effy replied, her voice was distant and her eyes glued to the horizon. "My brother Tony and I used to come here as kids. We always made sandcastles at the beach." She had meant for their trip out to be something to take their minds off everything that had happened, but going to the beach had just brought back painful memories of a childhood and a brother who were both gone forever.  
"Ems and I did too." Katie smiled, losing herself in her memories. "James always stamped on them…we buried him up to his neck in sand once. It took dad an hour to dig the little shit out."

Effy laughed at Katie's anecdote, easily able to imagine how much trouble the twins could have caused as children. It lightened the mood again and she took Katie's hand as she slipped off the bike. "Come on, let's go shopping." Her endless blue eyes sparkled as she led the other girl over to the small cluster of shops on the other side of the road. The doors and windows looked intact and there was little evidence of looting. Effy had a good feeling as she kicked in the flimsy wooden door of the first shop with her heavy boots. It was a little boutique, trading in expensive designer clothing, Effy had remembered it from the last summer her family had spent at the bay and she was glad to see it was untouched by scavengers. Katie's eyes were practically popping out of her head as she took in all the clothes.

"Eff you're fucking amazing, you know that?" She laughed as she picked up a silk scarf, running the soft material between her fingers.  
"So I've been told." She smirked as she stepped up to the smaller girl, taking the scarf out of her hands and wrapping it loosely around her neck. She kept hold of the two ends as she stared at Katie. "Perfect…scarf isn't too shabby either."

Katie laughed softly, her cheeks going red from the attention. She was used to boys falling at her feet, using corny lines to try and get her in to bed; but Effy was different. She wasn't just another player feeding her lines. She cared; and that terrified both of them. Katie tentatively stood on her tiptoes to press her lips to the other girl's cheek. "Thank you-" Effy turned her head to catch her lips; needing more. She knew Katie was still in a bad place, but if she didn't push her just a little bit they would never get anywhere. Katie kissed her back, her lips lingering for longer than even Effy had expected. Effy couldn't hold her attention for long though, not with all the pretty clothes and sparkling accessories to distract her. "How much can we take back on the bike? Maybe we should get a car?" Katie was off like a shot, rummaging through the rails and amassing a pile of clothes to try on.

That easy smile was back on her face and Effy was glad she'd brought her. She hopped up on to the counter where the till was and watched as Katie plundered the store. "Try this on." Katie tossed her a dress and she caught it with one hand. Holding it out to examine it she managed a small smile. The dress was a sleek little black number with a plunging neck line and silver studs on the shoulders. Katie had good taste.

Effy pulled her leather jacket off and tugged her vest up over her head, intending to change in to the dress there and then. Katie caught herself staring at the other girl's flat stomach and milky white flesh of her torso, covered only by a black bra, unable to tear her gaze away even as Effy caught her looking. She still had her pistol and holster wrapped around her waist, sitting on top of her black skinny jeans; along with her heavy motorcycle boots she looked pretty badass standing there by the door; like she could take on the whole world with nothing more than an icy glare and a razor sharp tongue. That waif of a girl, with her tiny waist and massive boots, made Katie feel safer than she had in months. She knew that Effy wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. She wouldn't do anything to hurt her.

"Like what you see?" Effy teased lightly as she unbuckled her holster and placed it down on the counter before kicking off her boots and unbuttoning her jeans.  
"Yeah, I do." Katie replied, her voice coming out as a deep rasp though there was no hint of her slight lisp. "A lot." Her brazen reply left Effy momentarily stunned as Katie started walking towards her. She stood there, with one leg still in her jeans and a comical expression on her face as Katie saddled up to her and slipped her arms around her waist, her soft hands cold against Effy's bare hips.  
"A lot?" Effy regained her composure as she somehow managed to gracefully slip her second leg out of her jeans, standing in front of the other girl in little more than her bra and underwear; a matching black lace set that was a stark contrast against her pale skin. "You really need to learn how to play hard to get." She chuckled as she tipped Katie's chin up and leant in for a kiss.

"It's a little hard to play coy when you're not wearing any clothes." Katie sighed, her lips barely leaving Effy's to reply. The taller girl chuckled as she gently pushed Katie back against the counter. She lifted her up without too much effort, placing her on the counter and reclaiming her lips until they were both breathless.  
"You're wearing too many clothes...it doesn't seem fair."  
"It's not." Katie retorted, nipping at the other girl's jutting lower lip. She stared defiantly up at Effy, a spark of Fitch fire returning to her. "What are you going to do about it?"

Effy was a girl of few words, so she chose a more kinetic answer to Katie's question, slipping her hands under her T-shirt and bringing it up over Katie's head. Katie didn't stop her. She didn't stop her as she started undoing the zip of her jeans. Effy stopped herself, hesitantly looking down at the other girl. "Are you sure about this?" She breathed, not trusting herself to be able to stop if Katie changed her mind further down the line. Katie covered her hands with her own, bringing the zip all of the way down as she kissed her.  
"I'm sure."

***

"I'll fucking kill Effy." Naomi grumbled as she crumpled up the note the other girl had left for her. "Half of the fucking South West is looking for us and she goes out gallivanting with Katie?"  
"Relax, Effy will keep her safe. I've seen them together, she isn't going to let anything happen-"  
"Plenty's happened already!" Naomi snapped, though her expression softened as she watched Emily's harden. "Fuck, sorry. I didn't mean to shout. It's just…I've been taking care of Katie for so long that I just can't settle if I don't know where she is."  
"Maybe it's time you started letting other people help? Start letting them take care of you instead?" Emily urged as she handed over the glass of water and the painkillers they'd finally dragged themselves out of bed for. "You don't have to be the strong one all of the time Naoms." Naomi closed her eyes as she swallowed the pills and counted to ten.  
"You're right. Effy wouldn't deliberately put her in danger…but she's being reckless! They both are! People are looking for us now, for _you. _If they find Katie instead-"  
"Naomi, listen to me." Emily cut her off as she cupped the blonde's chin in her hand. "I just got my sister back; anyone who tries to take her away from me is going to have hell to pay, got it?" The blonde nodded, her throat to dry to speak. She sipped at the water but her throat felt like it was closing over and she ended up coughing most of it back up. Emily's frown deepened as she rubbed her back. "We really need to get you some antibiotics-"

"I'm fine." Naomi lied, forcing the words out between bouts of coughing. "I told you, it's just a cold." Emily didn't look like she believed her. In truth Naomi was already starting to doubt herself. Whatever was going on with her was more than just a cold. Her head was pounding and her chest was aching, as though her lungs were struggling for every breath. She didn't want Emily and the others going off on a wild goose chase for medicine they couldn't afford to trade for. They needed everything they had to survive the coming winter. It wasn't worth losing half of their supplies for a handful of pills.

"I don't need antibiotics, just bed rest." She grinned as she got the coughing under control and pulled Emily closer to her on the sofa. "Lots of bed rest."  
"I think we can see to that." Emily giggled in between kisses. "You go rest up in bed and I'll make us something to eat." She pulled Naomi up to her feet and gave her a gentle shove towards the stairs.  
"Wait, don't you need bed rest too?" Naomi tried to tug her towards the stairs with her, but the tiny girl stood her ground.  
"Nice try Campbell, but you need _actual_ bed rest. Go on, I'll come wake you up when dinner's ready." With one last kiss Naomi begrudgingly did as she was told and dragged herself back up to bed.

Emily waited a few minutes to hear the bedroom door close before she set off down the hallway in the opposite direction of the kitchen. She found the last door on the left, where a pungent smell of weed and sweat was leaking through the cracks in the wood, and knocked twice. When no one answered she knocked louder the third time and eventually heard a grumbling voice from inside. "Alright, alright! Keep your knickers on!" Cook appeared at the door, his overgrown hair sticking up in all directions and his eyed red and glazed. A leering smile spread across his lips as he took in the sight of the youngest twin at his door. "Afternoon Princess, and what can I do for you?" Emily looked over his shoulder, at Freddie lying unconscious in one of the two single beds on the back wall.  
"I need to talk, somewhere private."

Cook's eyes narrowed on the smaller girl; as though he was weighing her up, trying to figure out what game she was playing. He stepped back in to the room and pulled on a grubby T-shirt before gesturing for Emily to lead on. "After you princess." Emily led him out in to the yard, but Cook knew the farm better than she did so he took the lead. He led her out in to one of the fields and helped her up on to a bale of hay. The bale had been left over from the last harvest before the virus had hit and the straw was dry and rotting. Cook climbed up first and then held out his hand for Emily. She shrugged it off, clambering to the top of the hay bale herself. "Feisty little Fitch ain't you?" Cook laughed as he pulled out his tobacco tin and made a roll up. He sparked up and offered it to Emily first. She took a long draw before handing it back. The smoke burned inside of her lungs as she held it in for as long as possible. She tossed her head back and let the smoke out in to the air. The sun was hanging low in the sky, full and ready to burst as it crept towards the clouds on the horizon.

"So, what's up Buttercup?" Cook quizzed as he brought the roll up to his dry cracked lips.  
"I need your help."  
"Really? Naomi not doing it for you, luv?" He leered at her, earning a slap from the tiny redhead.  
"Fuck off you perv! I'm serious. It's Naomi. She's sick." Cook lost his leer as soon as she mentioned Naomi being sick. The blonde meant a lot to him.  
"Sick how?" A deep frown creased his brow, making him look a lot older than he actually was. It was a look many of them had perfected when the people around them had started dropping like flies from the mysterious virus. "The virus is gone, right? I mean it died out and we're immune?" Emily had heard rumours of new outbreaks, isolated incidents of people dying from what seemed to be the virus, but without the media or any sort of mainstream communication it was hard to confirm if the rumours were real or not. She decided against panicking Cook.  
"I think it's bronchitis or pneumonia. She needs medicine-"  
"You name it you got it."  
"Antibiotics. She needs something to clear the infection off her chest, but we need more than just one or two pills, Cook. We need a full two week course, maybe more."

Cook shook his head, the cigarette still clamped between his lips. "That many pills…we don't have enough to trade, Red. Winter's coming; we can't lose that much stuff. We could try the city, check the hospitals-"  
"That's suicide." Emily objected. They both knew the cities were overrun with ruthless gangs that made Minhas and his men look like bunny rabbits. "I do know another way though, that's why I needed to talk to you alone. I know where there are shit loads of pills, more than enough to help Naomi, and the rest of us if we get sick."  
"What's the catch?" Cook wasn't an idiot. If the medicine was easy to get then she wouldn't need him. She wouldn't need to hide it from Naomi.  
"They're in the infirmary at Henham."  
"Oh, so it's suicide or suicide?"  
"I can get us in!" Emily objected, needing him to listen to her before he started shouting his mouth off. "There are ways in the compound, tunnels that Minhas doesn't know about. I just need some muscle as backup, in case anyone discovers us."

Cook fell silent, staring at a spot out in the field as though he was trying to set the yellowing grass on fire. "Naomi will kill me if she finds out I helped you." He finally spoke up, begrudgingly agreeing to help her.  
"She won't find out." Emily reassured him. "I'm going to slip something in to her tea tonight, she'll sleep right through and we'll be back before morning. It's for her own good."  
"What about Katie?"

They both looked up as they heard the roar of a motorbike coming down the drive. It was Effy and Katie coming back. Katie was carrying a large rucksack on her back and was grinning from ear to ear as she waved. Emily waved back at her sister, a smile fixed on her lips as she muttered to Cook, "Leave Katie to me. I've been handling her my whole life."


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Thanks again to everyone who's reading and for all the awesome comments. I know it's taken me like a month to update again but I just have so much on with work and other fics. I'm probably going to focus on other fics for a couple of weeks to try and get them finished off so I can spend more time on this one. **

"Hey, are you making dinner?" Emily almost jumped out of her skin as Katie popped up behind her in the kitchen. She hastily shoved her hand in to her pocket, concealing what was hidden in her fist as her twin peered over her shoulder at the pan of soup she had on the gas camp stove.  
"Just some chicken soup for Naomi. She's not feeling too good."  
"Huh…so what were you putting in it?" Katie was no fool and she knew when her sister was trying to hide something from her. Despite Emily's protests she managed to wrestle her hand out of her pocket and prise open her fingers. "That's not pepper." Katie glared at the little white pills sitting in Emily's palm.

The younger twin hastily pulled her hand back. "I can explain."  
"Please, do." Katie crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for an answer. "Since when do you have to drug girls? I'm pretty sure Naomi's in to you already babe."  
"That's not what I'm doing!" Emily hissed, peering over her shoulder at the door in case anyone was hovering beside it. "Naomi's really not well Katie. She needs medicine, and I think she'll kick off if she knows I'm leaving the farm to go get it."

"Where are you going for medicine?" Emily was beginning to regret not trying to drug Katie too as she watched her sister's expression change from curious to apprehensive.  
"Henham. There are antibiotics there and-" She fell abruptly silent as Katie snatched the sleeping pills out of her hand. "Katie-"  
"We need to crush these, pass me the pestle and mortar from the bottom cupboard will you?" Emily didn't move a muscle. She just stood there staring at her. The older twin let out an exasperated sigh as she fetched the items to crush the tablets herself. "I think she'll notice if you just drop them in her fucking soup."

"I thought you'd be mad at me…for wanting to leave." Emily admitted as she watched Katie crush the tablets with surprising skill. She had intended to slip out with Cook in the middle of the night while Katie and the others were sleeping, not wanting to worry her twin. Katie let out a heavy sigh as she put the pestle down and turned to face the other girl.  
"If it was for anyone else I would kick off. I'd scream the house down and refuse to let you leave…but Naomi saved me from a really bad place…if she hadn't have found me then I probably would have put a gun to my head and pulled the trigger a long time ago. I don't want to lose you again, _ever_, but I can't lose her either… Maybe if I'd gone to get you some medicine I wouldn't have lost you in the first place." She admitted, a heavy air of guilt hanging around her. She would never forgive herself for leaving Emily behind.

"Kay, there was nothing you could have done." Emily pulled her sister in for a hug, wrapping her arms around the tiny girl and squeezing her tight. Katie didn't buy it though. In her eyes she had abandoned her sister, leaving her for dead when she'd actually been gravely ill with food poisoning. As she told Emily this the other girl's face fell, her own guilt weighing heavily on her shoulders.  
"I didn't have food poisoning." She pulled back from Katie and pulled her T-shirt up over her head, raising her left arm to reveal the scarring under her armpit. The skin was a dark knot of scar tissue and Katie recognised it for what it was instantly.  
"H-how?" She stuttered, stepping in closer to examine what had previously been small lumps in Emily's lymph nodes. The lumps had been a sign of the infection and Katie had never seen any that had healed; no one had ever survived long enough for their bodies to start the recovery process.  
"I caught the virus. I noticed the lumps the day we buried Dad, I didn't want to worry you and James, and I figured you'd probably caught it too. I don't know why I caught it and you didn't, or why I survived; but I don't blame you for leaving me Katie, I was pretty much dead when you left."  
"Why didn't you tell me?" Katie frowned, irritated that her twin would keep something so important from her. Emily shrugged as she self-consciously pulled her T-shirt back down and crossed her arms over her chest.  
"People look at me weird when they find out I had the virus and lived…kind of how you're looking at me now; like I'm still contagious."  
"Ems-"

"No, it's fine. I get it, the virus wiped everyone out and I've never heard of anyone else recovering from it; but if I thought I was a danger to you and the others then I'd leave-"  
"Don't be stupid you daft cow! You're not infectious, and you're not going anywhere!" Katie gave her another crushing hug, as though she was afraid the other girl would just vanish in to thin air. "This is our home now; and our family. You do what you need to do, but if you get yourself hurt or…I mean you're still fucking limping from that bullet… just come back in one piece, got it?" She finally sighed, knowing her twin was far too stubborn for anything she could say to change her mind about going.  
"Got it." Emily replied with a smile as she pulled away from her twin and peered down at the crushed up sleeping pills in the mortar bowl. "Now, what do I do with this? Soup or coffee?"  
"Hot chocolate." Katie instructed without missing a beat. "With extra sugar to hide the bitterness."  
"Why do I get the feeling you've done this before?" Emily scrutinised her sister as she set about boiling a pan of water. Katie offered her a sheepish grin as she mixed the crushed white powder in with the cocoa powder in a clean mug.  
"It was one time, when I was seeing that Craig bloke and I needed to stay out late, Grandma was totally fine-"  
"Oh my god Katie! You drugged Grandma?"

"Uh, climb down from your high horse Ems! You're drugging your girlfriend." Katie scoffed as she added one generous spoonful of sugar after another to the mug.  
"It's for her own good!" Emily objected defensively, though she was wearing a tiny grin at the thought of Naomi being her girlfriend. In the space of a few days she had gone from having nothing to having a whole new family, a girl she was crazy about and a place to call home. It gave her all the more incentive to return to Henham. She had to get Naomi the help she needed. "Ok, all set. Cook and I are going to slip away as soon as it's dark. We should be back before morning. Can you keep an eye on Naomi for me?"  
"Sure…be nice to be back in my own bed."  
"Oh? I thought you were quite happy in Effy's bed last night." Emily shot back teasingly. She had been quite taken aback by Katie and the other girl and she'd ended up asking Naomi if Effy was in to girls. She'd picked up on the subtle glances that Effy kept throwing her sister's way, constantly checking she was ok and Katie in return had seemed to take comfort in having the other girl close by.

Katie bit nervously at her lip as a small smile crept over her lips. "I sort of slept with her."  
"I know, sorry about last night, we'll sort out some more long term sleeping arrangements when I get back." Emily laughed, not understanding what Katie was trying to tell her.  
"No, not last night. This afternoon. We _slept _together."  
"Oh." Emily felt her mouth hanging open. She had sort of presumed that Effy's interest in her sister was one-sided; she had never imagined that Katie could be in to a girl; let alone that she could have sex with one. "Oh. We should definitely talk about that… After I get back ok? We'll talk." With a bowl of soup in one hand and the hot chocolate in the other all Emily could do was lean in and press her lips softly against Katie's cheek.

Katie was the straightest person Emily knew; or at least she had been before everything that had happened to them. She knew there was something Katie was keeping from her, more than just what was going on with her and Effy, and she fully intended to sit her down to talk; but Naomi had been growing steadily worse throughout the day and Emily knew she had to go get her some antibiotics sooner rather than later. "I'll be here when you get back." Katie reassured her. She really wanted to confide in her twin, to share what was happening between her and Effy with the one person in the world she knew would understand.

Emily slowly made her way up the stairs, her leg felt stiff and sore from spending most of the day in bed. In truth, she was in no fit state to be sneaking in to Henham. If things didn't go to plan, and she and Cook needed to make a quick getaway, Emily wouldn't stand a chance. She didn't have the time to wait for her leg to get better though. Naomi needed her and Emily only had a small window of opportunity to get back in Henham. After their last raid, when one of the group she'd been with in the woods had decided to have the bright idea to try and kidnap Mandy, they would be beefing up security and stepping up their search of the grounds of Henham. If they found the old tunnel system that Emily had been using to get in and out of Henham then there would be no way inside; Emily _had _to get back inside.

She paused at the bedroom door, her resolve faltering as she stared down at the laced hot chocolate she intended to give to Naomi.  
She was debating just telling her what she was planning, but in the week or so she had known Naomi she already had a good sense of the other girl and she didn't think she would just lie down and let Emily walk out the door if she knew she was risking her life for her. She heard Naomi's barking cough from inside and quickly pushed any doubts aside. A good night's sleep would do her the world of good, regardless of the reasons behind it. "Hey, you're awake." Emily greeted the blonde as she slipped in to the room and placed the mug of hot chocolate and the steaming hot chicken soup down on the bedside table near Naomi's bed. "How are you feeling?" She placed her hand on the other girl's forehead and felt she was still burning up.

"Better." Naomi croaked as she tried to force a smile. Her skin was pale and clammy from her fever and Emily could hear her chest wheezing with every breath she took. The youngest twin was no doctor, but she was pretty sure the other girl had pneumonia.  
"That's great." She smiled back at the blonde, playing along with her act as she fussed over the bed covers, making sure Naomi was wrapped up warm. "I made you some soup…and some hot chocolate."  
"I'm not really hungry." Naomi mumbled, the words catching in her throat as she was caught out by another coughing fit. Emily sat beside her, gently rubbing her back and trying to soothe her.  
"Ok, just have some hot chocolate though." Emily coaxed, lifting the mug up to the other girl's lips. Naomi took a small sip before twisting her face.  
"I think the milk's off."

"It's fine." Emily insisted as she took a small sip herself. "It probably just tastes funny because you're sick. Drink it up, it's good for you."  
"Yes mum." Naomi teased, managing a small grin as she took another sip. Deciding the sour taste was too much she downed it as quickly as she could, not wanting to upset Emily by refusing it. She was rewarded with a long lingering kiss from the tiny red head as she lay down beside her and wrapped a protective arm around her waist.  
"I'll stay here until you fall asleep."  
"I'm not…tired." Naomi yawned, her body exhausted despite spending the entire day in bed. Emily had wrapped the covers around her like a cocoon and she was quickly overheating. She felt too comfortable to move though, with the other girl tucked in to her side and Emily's lips still moving against her own. "We should get up…go see the others…Katie…" She carried on mumbling as her eyes began to close over. Her body was already run down from fighting the chest infection and it didn't take long for the ground up pills to kick in.  
"I'll be here when you wake up…I promise."

Emily waited until the other girl was snoring softly in to her pillow before she slipped out of bed. Katie was waiting outside the bedroom door. She pulled Emily in for a tight hug without saying a word. "Just come back, ok?" She heard her sister's voice trembling and for a moment she began reconsidering whether the risk she was taking was worth it. She had just got Katie back and she was risking losing her all over again over a girl she had barely known for a week; but there was something about Naomi Campbell that had drawn her in from the second she had laid eyes on the other girl, and it wasn't just that she had been claiming to know Katie.  
"I'll be back before you know it." She promised as she pulled away from her sister; hoping it was a promise she could keep.

It had just started to grow dark outside and Cook was waiting for her by the van when she crept down the stairs and out the front door. "We're doing this then?" He looked surprised that Emily hadn't tried to back out of what was essentially a suicide mission.  
"It's not too late for you to chicken out." She shot back. Ideally she needed Cook with her for her plan to work, but she could still do it without him. He shrugged at her as he pushed himself off the van.  
"Fuck it; I'm not doing anything else tonight. We taking the van or you want something more inconspicuous? We could take the bike if Effy hasn't used all the petrol-"  
"No." Emily cut him off. "The van will do. We better get going if we want to be back before morning." She went to walk past Cook to get in to the van, but he stopped her with a firm grip on her arm and a stern glare.  
"You sure you know what you're doing Red?" The honest answer was _no_, but Emily stared right back at him as she wrenched her arm free.  
"Like I said, if you're not up for it so say now." She stalked off in to the van and sat waiting for him to follow her. He chuckled to himself as he tossed his fag end away and climbed in to the driver's seat.  
"You're a fucking firecracker Red, no wonder Naomi's nuts about you." He offered her a wry smile and despite herself Emily found her lips turning up in to a small smile of her own. She had definitely made the right decision in asking Cook to help her; he was probably the only one on the farm crazy enough to go through with it.

Cook put his foot down the whole way, using the smaller side roads instead of the motorway to avoid running in to any trouble. Driving around at night was just asking for trouble and Emily stiffened at every passing car and every figure they spotted at the side of the road. The last thing they needed was to be carjacked or ambushed before they even reached Henham. When they reached the thick woods that led to Henham's front gates, Emily instructed Cook to take a dirt road towards the river that ran through Henham estate. It was their weakest line of defence as the river was the only part of Henham that wasn't protected by a wall or a locked gate. They relied on the river for fresh running water and the hydraulic power that helped keep the lights on. When Emily had first found herself at Henham Hall she had thought it was paradise, with its hot showers, running refrigerators and electric lighting. The estate ran on a host of renewable energy sources with a few petrol generators at backup and it was pretty self-sufficient. It had seemed like the perfect place for her to settle down and start a new life, but the day she had watched Minhas kill a boy barely older than her brother, just for stealing a bit of food, she had realised she couldn't stay there. She couldn't keep quiet about the injustice she had witnessed, and when she had tried to challenge him over his to decision to kill the boy, Minhas had ordered her killed. She had been lucky to escape with her life, and had been hiding from him ever since; going back to Henham was like walking in to a mine field with a target slapped on her back.

As they sat in the silent van Cook pulled out his pistol from the holster at his side and began checking the clip and the sight, making sure he was fully prepared for whatever was waiting for him beyond the river. Emily's eyes narrowed on the gun. "Don't shoot unless you have to, ok? There are families in there, people I called friends…" She trailed off as he returned the gun to its holster.  
"Only if I have to." He repeated with a nod before pushing open his door and slipping out in to the cold night air. He stamped his feet on the ground in a bid to keep warm as he waited for Emily to share her plan with him. The autumn rain had been relentless all month and the river was almost overflowing. Cook didn't fancy their chances of wading through it in the middle of the night and making it to the other side. Emily's tiny frame would be swept away the second she stepped foot in the water. "So how do we get across?"

"We don't. We go under." Emily brushed past him, sweeping the ground with a torch until she found an iron manhole cover. She held the torch in her teeth as she pulled a crowbar out of the bag she had packed. She wedged it under the cover, grunting as she tried to prise it open. Cook watched her struggle for a few moments before taking the crowbar off her. It took him a couple of attempts but he finally managed to lift the cover up. He swallowed hard as the light from Emily's torch illuminated a small dingy hole in the ground. It looked barely wide enough for Emily to get through, never mind Cook and his broad shoulders. "I think it might have been a smuggler's run or something when the house was first built. I used to explore the grounds a lot when I first got here. I don't think anyone else knows about it, but they know we've got a way in so they've probably been looking for it…I can't guarantee what's waiting at the other end." Emily informed him as she tossed the bag down in to the hole and shifted so that she was sitting on the edge of the hole, her legs dangling down in to the oblivion below.  
"Because the big black hole in the ground didn't look appealing enough…" Cook grumbled, more to himself than to Emily, as he followed her lead and dropped down in to the earth.

Inside the tunnel, if the narrow shaft could even be called a tunnel, was a tight fit for Cook and he felt his thighs scraping against stone as he moved forward on his hands and knees, following the soft light of Emily's torch ahead of him. It was all he could see in the overpowering darkness and after a few minutes he felt like the walls were starting to close in on him. Emily paused up ahead of him, concern evident in her voice as she asked if he was ok. She couldn't see the distress on his face, but she could hear his laboured breathing.  
"Fine, just keep going." He growled, nudging her backside with his head. She would have slapped him if there'd been enough room to, but as it was all she could do was carry on as he'd ordered. She moved as quickly as the tight space and her aching leg would allow. She could feel the stitches straining painfully against her skin and she had to grit her teeth to stop from crying out as the stabbing pain returned to her thigh.

"How long is this fucking thing anyway?" He growled, feeling like he'd been under the earth for a lifetime rather than ten minutes.  
"We're nearly there." Emily reassured him for the third time. She had begun to slow down as the tunnel sloped upwards, but she hoped Cook hadn't noticed. She could see a circle of light up ahead that shouldn't have been there. The tunnel lead to a storage room in the basement that was full of rusty old gardening tools. It was rarely used so there definitely shouldn't have been a light on in the room. Emily shuffled forward, pressing her ear to the wooden trapdoor that blended seamlessly in to the floor of the room. She couldn't hear anything on the other side, but she was still apprehensive to push the wooden board up. If anyone was standing guard then Emily would more than likely find herself presented face first to the business end of an assault rifle. There wasn't even enough room in the narrow passageway to pull out her own gun for defence. Taking a steadying breath she kept her voice low as she called back to Cook. "We're here…get ready."  
"Ready for what?" Cook started, but Emily didn't give him a reply. She braced two hands against the wooden door and pushed with all of her might, bursting out of the tunnel the second it was open.

She drew her pistol the second her hands were free but the room was empty. The gunshots she had been expecting never came; instead the only sounds that filled the tiny storage cupboard were those of Cook trying to pull himself out of the tunnel. It had grown even narrower towards the end and his holster was caught. He had to slip it off and manoeuvre himself out first before he could bring the holster out and fasten it back around his waist. He swatted at the single naked light bulb hanging down from the low ceiling. "Think they found the tunnel then?"  
"I don't know." Emily admitted, frowning as she surveyed the empty room. Something felt off, but she wasn't sure whether it was just the light or if her eyes were picking up on something that her mind just couldn't process. "Maybe, but I don't think they'd leave it exposed like this. It would be guarded or blocked off or something…either way we better do this thing quick."

She hunched down over her backpack and pulled out a wad of papers with crudely drawn maps of the mansion. She placed them out on the floor making one large map "So this is where we are." She pointed out a red 'x' on one of the sheets and then to another one on a different sheet. "This wing was converted in to the infirmary, there's plenty of stuff in there that we could use, but you _need _to get antibiotics; Amoxicillin, penicillin, clarithromycin, anything like that. My Gran had clarithromycin for her bronchitis last year, try and get that-"  
"Whoa, where are you going to be while I'm shopping for pills?" Cook wasn't stupid. If Emily was going with him he wouldn't need a map. He'd had a nagging feeling that the tiny girl had another agenda for going back to Henham. They could have tried other places for medicine, it would have taken longer to search houses and rural shops, but it would have been far less dangerous too. "Why are we really here Ems?"  
"For Naomi!" Emily insisted, not backing down under his withering glare. "Mostly. This was the quickest way I could help her…but I was always coming back to Henham anyway, I just figured I'd have longer to put a decent plan together. I left something here that I need to get back Cook. I knew if we broke in and raided the infirmary they'd lock this place down tight and I wouldn't get a second chance…please, just trust me. I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for Naomi."

Cook stood with his arms crossed over his chest, staring the tiny girl down. "If this was anyone else but Naomi we were talking about, I'd throw your arse back down that hole and drag you home." He snatched up the papers that mapped out the house and shoved them in to his pocket. "I'll get the pills and you can get whatever it is you came for, but if you're not back in half an hour then I'm not waiting. If Naomi needs this medicine so much then I'm not hanging around here waiting to see if you make it back."  
"Of course." Emily agreed with him. If anything happened to her then she wanted to know that Naomi would still be taken care of. That was why she had brought Cook along in the first place. He was her backup plan. If she was caught she'd make sure he got away to help Naomi. She made a move for the door, but Cook slammed his hand against it, stopping her from leaving the room.

"Fucking hell…that's why you brought me isn't it?" Cook put two and two together and came up with four. He shook his head and let out a low whistle. "Whatever you're risking your neck for better be worth it; because if you don't make it home Naomi's going to fucking kill me!"  
"It is." Emily insisted, her big brown eyes wide and imploring as she looked up at him. "Please Cook, it really is. Just give me half an hour."  
With a heavy sigh Cook pulled back from the door and nodded. "Thirty minutes. That's it!"  
Emily grinned as she handed her backpack over to him and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "That's all I need."


	19. Chapter 19

"Where the fuck are you Emily?" Cook grumbled to himself as he checked his watch for the third time in the space of a minute. He'd made it to the infirmary and back in under ten minutes, and though Emily still had plenty of time to make it back he was getting antsy. Sitting in the store room in the basement, with his feet propped up against the wall, he sparked up a cigarette trying to calm his nerves as he checked his watch again. He'd found the antibiotics easily enough, along with a decent supply of strong painkillers, antiseptic and other crap that he'd managed to cram in to the rucksack Emily had given him. He'd meant what he'd said to her. He would leave her behind if he had to. Naomi needed medicine and Cook needed Naomi. When it came down to protecting Naomi or Emily, who was a relative stranger, it was a no brainer; though he'd probably give her a little longer than the half an hour he'd promised her.

On the other side of the massive country house Emily was slipping quietly through one of the corridors on the third floor, counting the doors she passed in order to find the one she was looking for. It was past midnight and the hallways were deserted, making it easy for her to move around undetected. She kept waiting to hear the sirens that indicated an attack or an intruder, fearing Cook would make too much noise or linger too long in the infirmary, but after fifteen minutes of silence she figured he'd had plenty of time to make it the hospital wing and back to the basement. She just hoped she'd make it back in time before he decided to leave. Would he give her the full half an hour? Or would he bail on her the second he had the antibiotics? She didn't know him well enough to be sure and so she moved hastily on down the corridor until she reached the right door.

Trying the handle she was relived to find it unlocked; saving the trouble of trying to force the lock. She firmly gripped the door handle and eased it down as quietly as she could; almost having heart failure when the old door creaked once she had it halfway open. Not wanting to risk making any more noise she squeezed through the gap and in to the darkness that engulfed the room. Emily didn't need a light to know where she was going though; she navigated the grand bedroom room with ease until she was standing in front of the precious bundle she had left behind when she'd fled Henham. An easy smile crossed her lips as she looked down on the sleeping boy. She ran her fingers through his soft blonde curls, trying not to disturb him. His eyes opened and slowly focused on the redhead hovering over him. "Hey little man, did you miss me?"

The baby let out a gurgle of laughter in response as he caught one of Emily's fingers with his little chubby hand and refused to let go. It had been one of the hardest decisions in her life for Emily to leave the baby behind, but at the time she hadn't had much choice. She had thought of him every day as she'd travelled up and down the South West, looking for a safe place in a broken world; a place she could safely raise a child. Naomi had given her that safe haven when she'd taken her to the farm. Bending down Emily scooped the baby up in her arms. It had been months since she'd held him and she felt tears prickling in her eyes as she tried to hold it together. Part of her had never expected to see him again.

"Get the fuck off my son!" Emily's reunion with the little boy was cut abruptly short as she felt the barrel of a handgun being shoved between her shoulder blades. The young woman who had growled at her was gripping the handle of the gun with both hands and was shaking from head to toe. Emily moved slowly, gently placing the baby back down in his cot before holding her hands up in surrender.  
"Easy. It's me."

For a second the other girl didn't say a word and Emily was afraid she'd made a mistake in coming back to Henham for her and the baby. She'd been gone a long time and there was a chance that the blonde standing behind her wouldn't want to leave with her anymore. She turned around to face her, keeping her hands up by her shoulders so as not to spook the other girl. "Emily!" The blonde gasped as she finally caught sight of her face. The gun was forgotten as she tossed it aside and threw her arms around the little redhead, almost crushing her. "Oh my god, Emily." The girl squeezed her eyes shut, fighting back tears as she clung to her best friend. "You came back?"  
"Of course I did, Lara. I could never leave you and Albert. I just had to wait until I had somewhere safe for us to go. Now I do." Emily reassured her as she pulled away and picked baby Albert up again. "We have to leave right now though, pack a bag, but not too much. We need to be able to get it through the tunnel that leads to the river-"  
"Emily, wait!" Lara stopped her, taking Albert from her with eyes wide with fear. "I can't just leave! What about Liam?"

"Fuck Liam!" Emily growled, unable to believe she was once again having to try and talk Lara in to leaving her abusive boyfriend. The bastard treat her like a punch bag and Emily knew it would only be a matter of time before he turned his anger on the beautiful baby boy that Emily adored. She wouldn't let that happen. She had risked life and limb getting back in to Henham, and one way or another she was going to get Lara and Albert out.  
"He's Albert's dad! We don't have any other family Emily, and its safe here! We have water and electricity-"  
"The farm has all of that!" Emily insisted. "It's not as fancy as Henham, but it's a home Lara! I found my sister, she's alive and she's with this great bunch of people, people who can be our family. Please, we don't have time to argue, I just need you to trust me!" She had less than ten minutes to get back down to the basement or Cook would leave without her.  
"I don't know, Emily. You're asking for a lot! You're asking me to give up everything here!"  
"What are you really giving up?" Emily snapped as she moved around the room, filling up Albert's nappy bag with baby formula and a few clothes. She didn't have time to talk Lara around. They needed to get moving. "A life of misery being used a punching bag? A life of being bullied? I promised I'd get you and Albert out of here, and that's what I'm doing!"

"I wouldn't count on it Emily." The light snapped on, revealing a young Asian woman standing by the door, she held a pistol in her hand and it was aimed right at Emily's chest. Lara's gun was sitting on the bed, a good foot away from where Emily stood and on the other side of the room from Lara, who stood cradling Albert and looking like a deer caught in headlights. She was too afraid to speak as Mandy Minhas stepped further in to the room. Her attention wasn't on Lara though. She walked closer to Emily, though she kept a safe distance between them to stop the other girl from reaching for her gun. "You're not going anywhere this time."

"Mandy…" Emily started, not really sure where to go from there. She knew her ex-girlfriend could be pretty volatile, she had her father's temper after all, and she didn't want to risk saying anything that would earn a bullet to the head. "You know if I'm stay I'm dead-"  
"But you still came back. Was it just for her? Or does it have something to do with your friend who was raiding the infirmary?"  
"Cook? What did you do to him?" Emily felt herself beginning to panic as she realised Cook might not have made it back to the basement after all. If he couldn't get those antibiotics back to Naomi then they had risked their lives for nothing. Many used the barrel of the gun to shove her back, pushing her down on to Lara's unmade bed.  
"Relax; I didn't do anything to your little friend. He's waiting for you by the tunnel."  
"You know about the tunnel? Why didn't you tell your dad?"

"Because then you wouldn't have been able to get back in here, would you? I knew you'd come eventually; for her." She turned to Lara with a glare, like the blonde was something she had stepped in. "Let's face it; you wouldn't be coming back for me would you?" Emily swallowed hard as she watched Lara slowly inching over to the door with Albert still clutched to her chest. If she could just get down to the tunnel then she could still get away with Albert. She nodded as discreetly as she could, hoping the other girl picked up on it.  
"You know a tunnel in the storage cupboard in the basement isn't very safe…" It was all Lara needed to know and before Mandy could react she shot out of the door with her son. With the other girl distracted Emily dived for the gun. She was quick, but Mandy recovered her wits faster than Emily had expected and just as the smaller girl got a hand on the gun Mandy kicked the side of her leg.

Emily screamed as her fingers slipped from around the barrel of the gun and she crumpled to the ground, clutching her injured leg. She felt the stitches straining and wasn't surprised to find blood soaking through her jeans. "I watched you come up here Em, you were limping pretty badly." Mandy knelt down beside her, using her free hand to cup Emily's chin to force her to look up at her. "I could have raised the alarm, but I didn't. I'm giving you a chance; come home."  
"I stay I'm dead!" Emily repeated, growling the words out through clenched teeth as she pressed her hands down against her leg. The blood wasn't as bad as it had been when she'd been shot, it seemed a few of the stitches had held; but there was no way she would be able to make a run from the room without ripping the rest of them open. Even if she managed to avoid being shot in the back by Mandy she would probably bleed to death before she could ever reach the tunnel.

"I can't protect you. You know I can wrap my dad around my little finger. If you come back, if you tell everyone you were wrong to challenge him, he'll punish you for show. You'll be put on house arrest for a month, he'll be able to save face and I'll be able to nurse you back to health." Mandy's hand caressed her cheek as she smiled at her ex-lover. "It's time to stop running baby, come home to your family." Emily felt herself leaning in to the other girl's touch, if only for a second. Had she not found Katie again she would have been tempted to give in, to return to Henham and submit to Minhas for an easy life. She had been running scared for months; constantly looking over her shoulder for fear that she would be caught and returned to Henham Hall to be executed as a traitor. Even if she made it out alive again, she would still be looking over her shoulder for the rest of her days, especially since she was taking Lara and Albert with her; but things were different. She had Katie, and Naomi and the others. She had a place to call her home and a bunch of people to call her family.

"He'll kill me Mandy, you have to see that." She pleaded with the other girl. "Your dad wants me dead to prove a point, nothing you can say will change his mind about that. Please, if you don't let me go I'm dead." Mandy pulled away from her with a scowl, the gun still clutched tightly in her right hand.  
"If you loved me you'd stay! You'd be brave and you'd trust me to look after you!"  
"I don't." Emily croaked, the throbbing pain in her leg growing intolerable as she tried to push herself to her feet. Her leg collapsed under her and she ended up on her knees in front of the other girl, completely at her mercy. "I'm sorry, but I never did. I was happy here with you, I really was, and I cared, but…"

"You never loved me." Mandy's eyes darkened as she loomed over the redhead, the barrel of her gun practically pressing against Emily's forehead as she slumped forward on her knees. She was exhausted and it had been well over thirty minutes since she had left Cook. He would be long gone; with any luck he'd taken Lara with him. She and Albert would be safe and Naomi would get the medicine she needed. Whatever happened, it would be worth it to know that the people she loved were safe. Emily closed her eyes over, waiting for the inevitable; at least a bullet would be quick. "Well I loved you…" Mandy's voice was barely above a whisper as she let her gun drop to the floor, with the safety still on.

Emily slowly opened her eyes, a questioning expression on her face as Mandy tugged her belt free of her jeans. "What are you doing?"  
"You'll bleed out if we don't do something about that leg." Mandy hooked her arms under Emily's and helped pull her up on to Lara's bed before tugging the smaller girl's jeans down to inspect the wound on her leg. Her mother had been a nurse and she vaguely knew what she was doing as she made a tourniquet out of her belt, helping to slow the bleeding. Leaving Emily perched on the edge of the bed she went off to search the room and came back with a small sewing kit. "This is going to hurt." Emily nodded, gritting her teeth as the other girl set to work on stitching her wound back together. It stung like hell and tears were rolling down Emily's cheeks by the time she was done. It was hardly a professional job, but it would keep her on her feet until she could get it seen to properly.

Emily couldn't look the other girl in the eye as she pulled her jeans back up and got to her feet. For all her faults Mandy was still a good person underneath, and unlike her father she wasn't willing to waste a life.  
"Liam will be back from guarding the fence in a couple of hours. When he realises Lara and his son are missing you better be far away…and don't come back."  
"I won't." Emily pressed her lips to her cheek. "Thank you."  
"Just go." Many turned away from her, trying to build her bitchy persona back up to protect herself. "Before I change my mind."

Emily didn't waste timing hanging about. She was already running late and her leg would slow her right down. Picking up the bag she'd packed for Lara and Albert she slipped out of the room, hobbling as fast as she could. Even if Cook had left without her she could find herself a car and get far away from Henham. She wasn't sure how easy it would be to find the farm again, but she had found her way back to her sister once before, she could do it again.

Her resolve started to falter as she reached the stairs leading down to the basement and her leg slipped out from under her. She fell down half a dozen steps before she manage to stop herself. She lay on her back, panting and biting back a scream as her improvised stitches gave way and more blood began to soak through her jeans. She heard footsteps on the stairs and tensed, readying for a fight despite not having anything to defend herself with. The footsteps were coming from below her though, not above and as a figure came in to sight she realised it was Cook. He slipped his hands under her legs and scooped her tiny frame up in to his arms, wordlessly carrying her down the rest of the stairs and in to the storage room. He put her down by the tunnel, there wasn't room for him to carry her through it, she would have to make it on her own.

"You go ahead and I'll follow behind-"  
"You waited?" She looked at him in disbelief. He barely knew her, yet he'd stayed behind waiting for her at the risk of getting caught.  
"Yeah well, you're family aren't you? Besides, Blondie would kill me if I let anything happen to you. So come on, get moving." He pushed her towards the hole in the floor.  
"Wait, Lara's-"  
"Blonde chick? She and the kid are already through; I took them to the van and came back looking for you. So she's what you came back for then?" Cook's gaze hardened as he looked at her like he had more he wanted to say; but was obviously saving it for when they weren't running for their lives.  
"It's not like that." She insisted, making no move towards the tunnel until she was sure he understood. "I had to come back for them and I wanted more time to plan it, but when Naomi needed medicine I knew this would be my last chance to get in to Henham. I couldn't just leave her and Albert here!"  
"Hey, it's not me you need to explain it to." Cook shrugged as he gave her another push towards the opening in the floor. "Save the excuses for Naomi."  
"Lara's just a friend! Her dick of a boyfriend hits her! I _couldn't _leave her Cook!" Cook's expression softened as he nodded at her, seeming to understand.  
"Come on, we need to get going." He grunted, following her down in to the tunnel.

It took longer for them to reach the other end, with Emily dragging her leg, and by the time they reached the van the tiny redhead was barely conscious. She was breathing hard and wobbling on her feet as she slumped against the van. Her dark jeans were glistening with blood. "Emily!" Lara jumped out of the van, unable to do much for the other girl with Albert still in her arms.  
"I'm ok, get back in. We need to go." Emily insisted as she pulled open the side door and dragged herself in to the back of the van. There were a couple of sleeping bags in the back and she lay down on one, breathing hard as Cook slammed the door shut behind her. Lara sat up front with Cook, trying to soothe a crying Albert. Cook glance back warily in the mirror at the teenager slumped in the back.  
"You sure you're good Red?"  
"You got the pills didn't you?" Emily ignored his question, focusing on more important matters. When Cook replied with an 'of course' she nodded and slumped back down on the sleeping bags.

As Emily lay in the back she began to slip in and out of consciousness. She struggled to keep her eyes open, but her entire leg ached and her head was pounding. It was easier just to give in to sleep and let her eyes close. Lara and Cook did their best to keep her talking, but eventually she slipped off, unable to hear them shouting her name.

* * *

"Naomi, wait! Where are you going?" Katie chased after the blonde as she lurched out of the bedroom they shared, clumsily pulling on a jacket and almost walking in to Effy. She was still pretty out of it from the sleeping pills that Emily had slipped in to her hot chocolate. As soon as she had woken up to find the youngest twin missing she had known something was going on. It hadn't taken much to get the truth out of Katie; the girl couldn't keep a secret to save her life.

"Where do you think I'm going?" Naomi growled, pulling away from Effy as she tried to steady her on her feet. "I'm bringing Emily back."  
"You don't even know where they are? They left last night; they should be on their way back!" Katie argued, trying to pull Naomi back in to their room. She was burning up and she looked even worse than she had the night before.  
"Then where are they?" Naomi snapped, losing her temper. "If they should be back by now then where are they? Why the hell did you even let her go? She's your fucking sister Katie! You're supposed to stop her doing stupid shit like this!"  
"She did it for you!" Katie screamed back, shoving the blonde back through the door to their room. "I let her go for _you_! I've been up all night worried sick about her! I'm not about to let you go chasing after her when you can barely stand up! I know Emily, she said she's coming back and she fucking well will! So get back in to bed and just fucking trust me!"

There were tears welling up in Katie's eyes, despite her insistence that Emily was coming back she knew they should have been home hours ago. She was terrified that something had happened to Emily and she didn't want to risk losing Naomi too. Effy wrapped her arms around her and held her as the tears finally fell. She had lain in bed with the older twin all night, keeping watch over Naomi while she slept and waiting for Emily and Cook to come back. "She's coming back!" Katie repeated, the words coming out muffled as she sobbed in to Effy's shoulder.  
"Of course she is. Cook will bring her back…he knows Naomi will have his balls if he doesn't."

"I can't just sit here…I can't…" Naomi stumbled forward again, trying to push past the other two girls. Effy let go of Katie and took a firm grip of the blonde's shoulders. "Naomi, there's nothing you can do. They could be anywhere from here to Henham. We just have to-" She was cut off by the sound of a horn blaring outside. They were back. Naomi raced past Effy, almost falling down the stairs as her feet stumbled. She threw the front door open at the same time as Cook reached it, carrying Emily in his arms. She was as pale as a sheet and Cook was covered in her blood. He was closely followed by a blonde girl with a crying baby and Naomi wasn't sure what to react to first. She ignored the girl and the baby and followed Cook in to the kitchen as he cleared the table with his shoulder and placed Emily gently down on it. Katie and Effy followed them in and Katie screamed at the sight of her twin. Hearing all the commotion Freddie walked in to the kitchen and found every crowded around Emily.  
"Jesus, what happened?"

"Her leg opened up again. I stitched it, but she's already lost a load of blood!" Cook had pushed the van to its limits in speeding back to the farm. When Emily had passed out he'd pulled over to stitch the wound and strap up her leg, but she was still in a bad way. He was carrying a rucksack over his shoulder and he slipped it off, pulling out the medical supplies he'd taken from Henham. "JJ!" He screamed for the younger man, knowing he was Emily's best chance. The other boy came racing in to the kitchen, stopping short as he spotted Lara. His eyes widened and his mouth hung open as he took in the strange blonde girl cradling a child in her arms.  
"Uh…hello."  
"Forget her JJ, you need to help Emily!" Cook grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and dragged him over to the kitchen table, where Naomi had already taken a steak knife to Emily's jeans, ripping the blood soaked fabric open so that JJ could see to her wound.

Cook had done a crude job of stitching Emily's wound, on top of Mandy's attempt with the household string, and the skin around it was red and inflamed. It looked like an infection was setting in. JJ's full attention was suddenly on Emily as he pulled first aid kid out of the cupboard under the sink, along with a bottle of vodka and some scissors. He soaked the blades of the scissors in vodka to sterilise them before pouring some over Emily's leg. Cook took the bottle from him and took a healthy swig himself while JJ used the scissors to take out the stitches from Emily's leg. He sutured the wound, pulling the skin together with a neat row of uniformed stitches. He couldn't do anything about how much blood she had lost, all he could do was clean her leg up and hope to stop it from getting infected. Cook had got his hands on plenty of painkillers and antibiotics, enough to help Emily _and_Naomi.

Once JJ was done he stared at the blood on his hands and his lip suddenly started trembling. "Not good. Not good…need to get it off." He started scrubbing at his hands with his nails, getting locked on at the sight of the blood.  
"Whoa, JJ! Easy mate! It's ok!" Cook ushered him over to the sink and turned the tap on, helping him to wash the blood away before he could get completely locked on and freak out. He'd been off his medication for months, and most days he seemed to be doing better for it, but when he did get locked on it was _bad. _  
"The blood…so much blood…" JJ was mumbling away to himself as he carried on staring at his hands. They were clean, but JJ was already freaking out. "It won't come off…Cook, it won't come off…"

"Here." Lara handed the baby over to Katie before turning to JJ and taking hold of his hands. She covered them with a tea towel and patted them dry, whispering soothing words that seemed to calm him down. "All clean, see?" She smiled at him with the patience of a mother as she rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb. He stared back at her, too dumbstruck to speak. He managed to nod his head as Freddie pulled him away.  
"Come on mate; let's get you some fresh air." He led JJ outside whilst Cook picked up Emily to carry her upstairs. Naomi was still unsteady on her feet as she tried to follow them, so Katie quickly handed Albert back over to Lara before slipping an arm around the blonde's waist to keep her up as they followed Cook out the door; which left Effy and Lara standing in the kitchen in an awkward silence. Effy moved wordlessly over to the sink and filled a pan full of water before turning back to the blonde.  
"Tea?"

* * *

When Emily finally woke up she was comfortably numb, pumped full of painkillers and antibiotics that Cook had stolen from the infirmary at Henham. She was also lying in a bed, which was far more comfortable than the pile of old sleeping bags in the back of the van. Naomi was sat by the side of her bed on an old wooden chair. Her eyes were still a little sunk in to her head, and her nose was red, but there was more colour in her cheeks and she wasn't wheezing. Her eyes widened as she realised Emily was awake.

She sat forward, taking Emily's hand in hers. "You're awake. God, I was so worried Ems…" She sighed as she leant in for a kiss, her lips gently grazing Emily's. She didn't want to push her too much, but Emily had other ideas as she wrapped her arms around her neck, pulling her down on top of her.  
"You're ok."  
"You are too." Naomi's smile wavered, once she realised Emily was going to be ok she sat back and scowled at her. "What the hell were you thinking?"  
"You needed those pills." Emily sat herself up. "Henham was the only place I could get them."  
"And the blonde and the kid?"  
"Lara!" Emily tried to bolt out of bed, but Naomi pushed her back down.  
"She's fine. JJ gave up his room for her and the baby."

As Emily lay back down she realised it was once again dark outside. "Have I been out all day?" Happy that she wasn't about to try and bolt out of bed Naomi shifted so that she was lying down beside her.  
"Yeah, you have. You had us worried." The blonde's voice shook; she had been terrified that Emily wouldn't wake up. She buried her face in the pillow as the first tears fell down her cheeks, not wanting Emily to see her in such a state. "I thought I'd lost you!"  
"I'm sorry Naomi! I didn't mean for any of this to happen, I…I just had to help you, and going back to Henham was the only way I knew how to! I swear I'm never leaving you _or_ Katie again." She kissed her cheek, coaxing her to pull away from the pillow so she could reach her lips.  
"I know you're not!" The blonde huffed before kissing Emily back. "Because if you even _think _about it, I'm tying you to this bed!"

Emily giggled in to her mouth as she wrapped her arms back around her neck and pulled her even closer against her. "I could live with that."


	20. Chapter 20

"What do you think you're doing?" Cook asked gruffly, a lit cigarette between his pursed lips as he eyed Naomi sceptically. The blonde glared at him as she pulled on her jacket and slipped her feet in to her boots.  
"I'm getting ready to go out clubbing, what does it fucking look like?" She snapped at him, her own mood worse than his. She had been relieved the night before, when Emily had finally woken up and explained exactly why she had drugged her and went running off in the middle of the night, only to return with Lara and her son; but that relief had soon given way to anger. Emily had stupidly risked everything in drugging her and going back to Henham, and it was a stark reminder that she had known the other girl for little more than a week. As much as she knew about her from listening to Katie, it seemed she still had a lot to learn about the youngest twin. "We need to get back on track with stocking up for the winter."

"We're doing ok Naoms. We can handle it, yeah? You just take another day or two to sort yourself out-"  
"No Cook, we were doing ok _last _week, before we had four extra mouths to feed! We need to get back on it; I don't have time to be sick!" Knowing there was no point in arguing with her, Cook just shrugged and held his hands up.  
"Whatever you say, boss. Though technically the kid's only half a mouth…" He trailed off as Naomi glared at him. She wasn't in the mood for his attempt at making jokes so early in the morning. Having a baby in the house was going to be a huge responsibility. It would need special food, nappies, clothing, toys etc. They would probably have to waste a couple of days salvaging just for the baby's needs.

"Hey, why didn't you wake me?" Cook was saved from Naomi's death glare as Emily came down the stairs. She was still dressed on one of Naomi's long bed shirts, with her hair hanging loose and tussled around her shoulders and a sleepy smile on her face. For a second Naomi almost forgot she was supposed to be mad at her, but the sight of the thick bandage around Emily's thigh reminded her of what the other girl had done. She was walking a little stiffly on it, wincing as she reached the bottom step. Naomi instantly stepped closer to let her lean on her, taking the weight off her wounded leg.

"I thought you could use the extra sleep. I was going to bring you some breakfast before we left."  
"Left for where?" Emily quizzed. She had been surprised to wake up alone in bed. Though Naomi was doing better with the antibiotics they would take a few days to have any real effect and she was still dealing with a pretty serious chest infection. They had both been through the wars and, in Emily's opinion, should have still been tucked up in bed together.  
"We need to get back to stockpiling for the winter. There are four more of us now." There was a slightly bitter edge to Naomi's words, which Emily hadn't missed. She knew the other girl was still apprehensive of Lara and they would need to sit down and talk things through properly, but with Cook hovering over them it was hardly the time.

"Should you really be going out so fast? You're still sick-"  
"I'm fine." Naomi cut her off, her tone a little shorter than she had intended. "We need to be prepared for winter, and the baby's going to need stuff, so…I need to get back out there." They all needed to get back to their normal routine, or as close as they could get seeing as they had three new house guests.  
"Ok, but not till after breakfast." Emily insisted as she tugged on Naomi's sleeve, trying to get her to head towards the kitchen. Naomi reluctantly made her way to the kitchen, supporting Emily as they went. It seemed the rest of her housemates were already crammed in to the small kitchen. Effy and Freddie were sitting on one of the benches, sharing a plate of toast, whilst Panda, Thomas and JJ were sitting eating cereal at the table and Lara and Katie were trying to feed baby Albert what Naomi could only describe as white mush. Katie was in her element fussing over the baby and Lara was glad to have the extra pair of hands to help as he squirmed in her arms.

"You two out of bed already? We thought you'd be there for the week." Effy teased as Naomi helped ease Emily down in to the remaining seat at the small kitchen table.  
"We have to get back on track with getting supplies in for the winter." Naomi snapped, taking her mood out on Effy. "We need stuff for the kid too."  
"Albert." Lara corrected her. "His name is Albert."  
"Fine. _Albert _is going to need food of his own and nappies and stuff. We have three extra mouths to feed and we can't piss about taking days off. JJ you can come with me, Cook, Freds and Effy today. We'll need the extra pair of hands-"  
"What about me?" Katie objected. "I can help."  
"Between you and Emily you have most of the South West after you. You stay on the farm and do what you normally do. Lara can help you with the domestic stuff and once Emily's leg is better she can start helping JJ and Panda on the farm."

"Who died and made you the boss of everyone?" Lara snapped, tired of the way the blonde was glaring at her and her son. Emily had told her that the farm would be safe for her and Albert, but Naomi had been pretty hostile towards her since they'd arrived.  
"Everybody died!" Naomi barked, her temper finally boiling over. "I've spent the last six months keeping this family together and I'm not about to let things go to shit now. So you can stay and pull your weight, or you can leave!"  
"Naomi?" Emily frowned as she tried to put a hand on her arm. Naomi pulled away though, not wanting to say or do something that would threaten their still blossoming relationship. She knew she had only lashed out at Effy and Lara because she was mad at Emily, but after everything they had been through she couldn't bring herself to argue with the tiny redhead.

"I'm sorry." She sighed as she rubbed at her face and shook her head. "I didn't mean to be short, Lara. I'm just stressed out and tired-"  
"Which is why you should still be resting." Emily interrupted. She hadn't risked her life going for the antibiotics just to have Naomi get even sicker from exhaustion and over doing it.  
"Emily's right. JJ can help us out today. We can get the stuff for Albert out of the way, pick up a few supplies for the grownups and then tomorrow you can put your bossy boots back on and come with us." Effy tried to reassure her.  
"Yeah, you and Red can go back to bed and play doctor." Cook joined in with a sultry wink. Everyone was seemingly ganging up on her.  
"Fine." Naomi relented, letting out a heavy sigh as she leant against Emily's back, resting her chin on her shoulder and wrapping her arms around her chest. Spending the day in bed with a pretty girl was hardly a chore, but she knew that once they were on their own they would have to talk about what Emily had done. "But I'm going tomorrow!"  
"We wouldn't think to stop you." Effy smirked at her.

Naomi rolled her eyes at her as she pulled off her jacket. "I'm going back to bed. I feel like shit." She pressed her lips to Emily's cheek before leaving them all in the kitchen. Despite the medication she was still burning up with a fever and just getting back up to her room took a lot out of her. Tugging off her jeans she crawled back in to bed wearing just her T-shirt and pulled the duvet up over her head. She heard the door squeak as it opened and tried to bite back a groan. "Ems, I just need some sleep…"  
"Wrong sister."

Naomi sat up just in time to see Katie to take a seat on the end of her bed. "You know she meant well. Emily, you're mad at her. You're trying to hide it, but it's written all over your face."  
"She drugged me, Katie. She drugged me and then she ran off to Henham, risking her life for fuck all-"  
"She risked it for you dumb arse!" Katie cut her off, her tone leaving no room for argument.  
"And Lara and Albert." Naomi grumbled petulantly.  
"That's what this is. You're jealous? For fucks sake Naomi!" Katie picked up one of the pillows and smacked it against her head. "You can be so fucking stupid sometimes!"  
"Can you blame me? She sneaks off in the middle of the night and comes back with some girl and her kid!"  
"She had to leave Lara and Albert behind when she left Henham. She's her friend Naomi; you can't blame her for wanting to get her out of that place! _You_ wouldn't leave_ me_ behind, would you?"  
"I guess not." Naomi sighed, earning another smack with the pillow.  
"Of course you wouldn't!" Katie scorned. "So stop being a dick and get over yourself. I'm _letting_ you date my sister. It's a fucking privilege, not a right!"

Naomi couldn't help but laugh. The oldest twin was definitely starting to come out of her shell. She was returning to the person she had been in her old life and Naomi was glad of it. She was growing more confident with each passing day, and growing less dependent on Naomi. She rolled her eyes as she wrapped her arms around the smaller girl. "I'll try to remember that."  
"Please do." Katie beamed as she got to her feet, tossing Naomi's pillow back down on to the bed. "Oh, and I'm going out foraging with the other guys today. Effy said I could!" She skipped out of the room before Naomi could object and the blonde sunk back down on to her bed, grumbling to herself.  
"Does anybody in this fucking house even listen to me anymore?"

Katie practically ran down the stairs, as though she was afraid Naomi would chase after her and refuse to let her go. She knew she'd have to be careful outside the farm, but she couldn't carry on living her life cooked up at home all day while the others ran around doing all the hard work. She slipped in to the front passenger seat of the van, sliding in beside Effy. JJ and Cook were already in the back, and Freddie was up front driving. They had decided to try and hit a retail park on the outskirts of Bristol. It was far enough from the city to be safe and there was a good chance the _Mothercare_ store hadn't been looted too badly. There weren't many babies and toddlers running around in the world after the virus had hit. Children had such weakened immune systems that few of them had been immune to the disease that had wiped out most of the planet.

When they reached the retail park Freddie circled the car park a few times, on the lookout for any sign of trouble. Most of the shop fronts were smashed in; including the _Mothercare _store, but the damage looked old. The glass had long since washed away with the rain and the clothing and broken electrical goods that littered the car park were worn and faded from exposure to the elements. It didn't look like anyone had been around in a long time. Regardless of that Cook got out of the van first, his shotgun resting on his shoulder as he took a good look around the place. It was the middle of the day, but the inside of the stores were dark without the artificial light that had previously lit them up. _Mothercare _looked like a big dark cave and Cook didn't want to meet any ogres that might be living inside; not without his shotgun. "Alright!" He banged on the side of the van to let the others know they could get out. Freddie had a shotgun of his own and Effy and Katie were packing pistols. JJ was the only one without a weapon; but it was safer for him to be unarmed. He'd almost shot Cook in the leg the last time he'd been anywhere near a gun. "Ladies, grab a basket." He grinned as he led the way in to the shop.

Even with the windows smashed out the light only penetrated a few metres in to the darkness and they had to use their torches to see anything. Katie pulled out one of the rusted shopping trolleys to carry everything they needed to get. The wheels squeaked and groaned in protest as she pushed it up the first aisle. "This is the brand Albert has." JJ picked up a tin of powdered baby milk with a green lid. "He's almost nine months so he needs follow on milk."  
"This only has like a month left until it's out of date." Katie scowled as she checked the expiry date on the bottom of the tin.  
"It's not like they're still making it Katie. It'll have to do." Effy took the tin and shoved it in to the trolley, along with the other seven tins on the shelf.

They filled the shopping trolley just in the first aisle with milk, jars of baby food and snacks. Cook and Freddie wheeled it out to the van while Katie fetched a second one. She and Effy filled it with toys and clothes while JJ disappeared deeper in to the bowls of the store with a trolley of his own. "Where's J?" Cook quizzed as he and Freddie caught up with the girls.  
"Probably looking for more toy aeroplanes for his room?" Effy shrugged. JJ had wandered off on his own without saying a word.  
"He doesn't have a gun." Cook frowned as he squinted in the darkness, looking for any sign of JJ's torchlight. "He shouldn't be on his own!" Effy rolled her eyes at his overprotectiveness.  
"He's a big boy, Cook. He can look after himself-" She was cut off as they heard a loud crash coming from the other end of the store.

"JJ!" Cook was off tearing down the aisles with his shotgun clenched in his hands as he ran towards the sound of the crash. Freddie was following close behind him, with the girls trailing after. "Fuck me!" Cook laughed as he came to a stop in the furniture department and the beam of his torch landed on JJ, lying on the floor and tangled up in a baby walker that he'd tripped over in the dark.  
"Little help." He pleaded as he struggled to free his foot. Cook and Freddie took an arm each and pulled him free as Effy held on to the baby walker.  
"Impressive, JJ." Katie grinned as she flashed her own torch over his shopping trolley. He'd collected a flat pack cot, bedding, stair gates, a potty and a load of other practical stuff that the baby would need.

"I have a list." JJ blushed as he pulled a neatly folded piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it over to Katie for her approval. "We still need a pushchair and a highchair, oh and nappies and toiletries." Trust JJ to make shopping in to something so organised. Katie had been too busy looking at the tiny clothes to think about pushchairs and cots. He'd surprisingly taken a shine to the baby and seemed to want to help look after him. Though Katie was willing to bet it was Lara that he'd really taken a shine to. She'd been able to calm him down the night before when he'd gotten locked on. Katie had only ever seen Cook and Freddie manage to do that for him.

"Nice work, JJ!" Cook slapped him on the back, nearly knocking the smaller teen over. "Let's get the rest of what we need and get it in the van. This place gives me the creeps." He shook his head as he kicked a jack-in-the-box clear across the aisle. "I fucking hate clowns."

Back at the farm, Emily was in the kitchen making some lunch for Naomi. She had left her to sleep for the rest of the morning, know how badly she needed the extra few hours in bed. Lara was feeding Albert at the kitchen table, though he was less than impressed with his meal without Katie there to make aeroplane noises as she brought the spoon to his mouth. "Will you be ok on your own for a bit? I want to go check on Naomi."  
"Of course…so is it just me, or does your girlfriend hate me?" Lara sighed as she let Albert take hold of the spoon and he cheerfully shook it up and down, getting bits of orange mush all over the table.  
"It's not you. Naomi's made at me. She's just taking it out on you." Emily reassured her as she took the spoon off Albert and sat it back down on the table. "She's really great; you'll love her when you get to know her. It's just going to take everybody some time to adjust. Hell, I've only been here a couple of days myself."  
"But you think it's safe?" Lara frowned, beginning to regret leaving the safety of Henham. It might have been like living in a prison, but at least that lack of freedom had come with the knowledge that her son was safe.  
"I wouldn't have brought you and Albert here if it wasn't. Trust me." Emily squeezed her hand with a reassuring smile before heading up the stairs with a bowl of soup for Naomi and some sugary tea.

She knocked lightly on the door before going inside the bedroom she and Naomi had been sharing for only a few short days. It was insane how she had grown to trust the other girl so much in such a short space of time; but being with Naomi, and being on the farm surrounded by the people her sister considered family, it felt right. Like she and Katie had finally found their place in the world again. Not having James and her parents with them still hurt, but with Naomi there to distract her the pain hurt a little less. She smiled when she found Naomi sitting up in bed reading. "Hey. I brought you some soup."  
"With or without the roofies?" Naomi asked dryly as she sat her book aside. She'd tried to make a joke out of it, but her anger had gotten the better of her.

"I deserved that." Emily nodded as she put the soup and the tea down beside her. "I'm sorry about going behind your back, but you risked your life for me. I was repaying the favour."  
"Now we're even." Naomi still wasn't giving her an inch as she sulked. She had tried to hide how pissed off she was, but she couldn't just keep pretending like everything was ok between them.  
"Not really. I still owe you for looking after my sister. So it looks like you're stuck with me." Emily teased, managing to get a small smile from the other girl as she climbed on to the bed and lay down beside her.  
"Just promise me you won't pull any crap like that again?" Naomi sighed. She wrapped an arm around the smaller girl and pulled her flush against her before pressing a kiss to her lips. "We're a family here Ems, we don't just run off in the middle of the night and do crazy shit without telling each other!" Emily could have pointed out that she had told both Cook and Katie what she was doing, but she wisely decided to keep that to herself.  
"Ok, but promise me that you'll try to remember Lara and Albert are part of this family now?"

"Fuck. I was a bitch to her, wasn't I?" Naomi sighed against her lips, her breath tickling Emily's cheek as she nodded at her. "I'm so sorry! I just…you brought this girl back with you and I got scared. You're the best fucking thing that's happened to me in a long time. I don't want to lose you-" Emily cut her off with a kiss, her lips lingering long enough to give Naomi time to kiss her back as the blonde's arms wrapped around her waist.  
"I'm not going anywhere. I have everything I could ever want right here. I've got you and Katie, and Thomas and Lara and Albert...I've got a family again." Emily's eyes were filling up as she thought about everything she had gained in the last few days. She had never expected to get Emily back, never mind a whole new extended family of people.  
"And Cook, your partner in crime." Naomi laughed as she nudged her side, trying to lighten the mood between them. "Speak of the devil." She rolled her eyes as she heard the tyres of the van crunching on the gravel outside.  
"He's not so bad." Emily objected. "He came through for me last night. Things got rough and he could have left me, but he waited."  
"Yeah, because he knows I would have kicked his arse for leaving you!"  
"That's what he said." Emily laughed at the other girl. She took Naomi's hand to help her out of bed. Her leg was stiff and sore from lying down on it for so long. "Come on; let's go see what they got!"

They only just made it to the top of the stairs as Cook and Freddie came barrelling up from the bottom of them, carrying heavy looking cardboard boxes. JJ followed, carrying two tins of paint. Emily caught a glimpse of a picture of a cot on the side of one of the boxes and grinned. "Lara's going to be so-"  
"Whoa there Red! No telling her yet! J-Man here wants to surprise her. We're painting the room and putting up the crib. You girls go keep Lara busy with the baby clothes and stuff."  
"That's sweet JJ." Emily beamed at the younger boy and he smiled bashfully back at her as he shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

The girls made their way down stairs and found the others in the living room. The other girls were fussing over the tiny baby clothes and poor Thomas looked a little lost sitting beside Panda. "The boys are busy upstairs. I'll distract Panda if you want to make a run for it?" Emily whispered in his ear, earning a grateful smile in return as he nodded and stood up to give Emily his seat. "Hey Panda, wow that's so cute!" Emily admired the little shirt that the blonde was holding and Thomas was able to slip away unnoticed. The sound of Emily's voice caught Albert's attention though and he started wriggling in Lara's arms as he reached out towards the redhead. "Hi, little man." She took him from his mother and sat him down on her lap.

"This is amazing! Thank you so much!" Lara looked close to crying as she threw her arms around Katie. The living room floor was overflowing with clothes, powdered milk, jars of baby food and toys. She barely knew the people on the farm, yet they had spent their day collecting things for her son. Emily had been right about them; they were good people.  
"Nothing's too much for this gorgeous little guy." Katie grinned as she scooped Albert up, stealing him from her sister. The baby giggled as he was passed from one twin to the other. One of his hands reached out for Katie's hair, his chubby little fingers wrapping around her deep purple curls. "We'll have to get you some clothes and stuff too Lara. You can borrow any of ours until then though. Just be careful of Naomi's wardrobe, she has _way_ too much floral."

"Hey!" Naomi objected. She had only ever owned one flowery shirt and she had unfortunately been wearing it the day she had found Katie. It had been one of the first things Katie had mentioned after the shock of killing a man had finally subsided. As Naomi had been dragging her through the woods, far away from the caravan she had been held in for weeks on end, she had suddenly stopped in her tracks and just stared at Naomi's shirt before declaring it was hideous. Then she'd broken down crying and it had been almost two days before Naomi had gotten her to speak again. "Ignore her Lara, I have decent clothes which you're welcome to borrow; and unlike Katie's, they're not hobbit sized- Ow!" Naomi grumbled as Emily elbowed her in the side and glared at her. "What was that for?"  
"Twins, yeah babe?" Katie answered smugly as Emily rolled her eyes. "Same size."  
"Fuck." Naomi cursed, rubbing at her side. "Sorry." She kissed Emily's cheek and was glad to see the other girl wasn't in too much of a huff with her as she turned her head to kiss her back. Naomi wrapped an arm around the smaller girl's waist and pulled her in close. It felt good to be spending time with the girls, even Lara. They could forget all about the fucked up world outside and just be teenage girls talking about clothes; for one afternoon at least.

The sun was hanging low in the sky when Cook finally put in an appearance downstairs. He walked in to the living room, wiping his hands on an old rag. His clothes were covered in speckles of pale blue paint. Even his face and hair were streaked with paint. He grinned as he picked Albert up. Lara's eyes widened in alarm. She wasn't used to strange men holding her child and despite how nice he had been to her Cook was still effectively a stranger. "Alright, little man? Ready to see your new room?"  
"New room?" Lara's alarm turned to confusion as she looked to Emily for answers. She had no idea what the boys had been doing all afternoon.  
"All will be revealed!" Cook chuckled as he beckoned for the girls to follow him upstairs. "Follow the Cookie Monster!" He held Albert on his hip as he led them all up to the room that had previously belonged to JJ. The smell of fresh paint hit them the second they stepped foot on the landing.

"Oh my god!" Lara couldn't believe what she was seeing as she stepped in to the room. The boys had been working flat out all afternoon to get it ready and it was completely different from how it had looked in the morning. They'd painted the plain cream walls a baby blue colour, adding wisps of white to look like clouds. JJ's scale model aeroplanes hung from the ceiling, moving gently in the breeze from the open windows, giving the effect that the planes were actually flying through the sky. The hard wooden floor had been covered by a plush navy carpet that was soft under her bare feet and the old battered furniture had been replaced. There was a new pine wardrobe, a single bed, a changing table, a cot and a big toy box for Albert. Lara felt herself welling up as she looked around at the strangers who had done so much for her and Albert. "This is amazing! Thank you so much!" She gushed at Cook, but he dismissed her praise as he slung an arm around JJ's shoulder. He had been trying to sink in to the background unnoticed, but Cook wasn't about to let that happen.  
"Thank JJ, it was all his idea."  
"Thank you, JJ." Lara beamed at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his cheek. She pulled away to take her son from Cook and missed the deep crimson blush that spread over JJ's cheeks. Cook nudged him playfully in the side as he offered him a thumbs up. He ducked his head bashfully, though his grin was practically splitting his face in two.

Cook caught Naomi watching him and winked at her, drawing a smile from the blonde as she nodded at him. The boys had done a good thing. Having a room of her own for her and Lara would definitely help the girl to settle in on the farm. Though it also meant JJ no longer had a room. He could probably bunk up with Cook and Freddie, but Thomas and Panda would need a room of their own too. The farm house was pretty spacious, but it was definitely bordering on becoming overcrowded. They could probably get away with turning the dining room in to a bedroom; though Naomi had a sneaking suspicion that she and Emily would probably have to share their room with Effy and Katie until they could work out something in the long term.

Cook was pretty useful with his hands and he'd talked about building an extension on to the house, or converting one of the barns, but a job like that would take a lot of time and supplies. It would probably have to wait until the spring, or else they would risk starving over the winter if they weren't able to stockpile enough food. Without local councils to upkeep the motorways or grit the roads, a bad winter could easily see them blocked off from what remained of the outside world. They needed to be prepared for the worst case scenario and until the farm was able to be self-sufficient they would have to rely on foraging. With the nights already starting to turn colder, and November quickly approaching, they didn't have long to get themselves prepared.

Emily caught her preoccupied look and slipped her hand in to Naomi's, giving her a reassuring smile. Naomi was too distracted to notice though. She once again found herself thinking about the burden of having four extra mouths to feed.


End file.
